There is Always a Plan in Motion

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. 
Proverbs 16:1


There is always a plan in motion even if you know or not. There is a plan in motion if you are seeking after it or not. There is always a plan for your life. A Destiny that you are called to carry out.

There is so many things that I want to do in my life and there are so many different ways I want to serve others in this nation and among all other nations. The plans in my heart are huge, out of love, and of ministry. These plans I want to do in my life are boiling up in my heart and spirit and are driven by the love and passion I have for my Jesus. I think of these plans often, the places I want to travel and the places I want to volunteer my time. So many countries and states have come to my mind and the more I think of them and pray over them, the bigger the passion and boiling of love in my heart grows. Even though these plans and passions seem huge inside, God usually has a bigger plan and passion He wants to put in your heart and in your plans. This is where the second part of this verse comes into play, "but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue." This is where it gets exciting. Well sometimes. When I say sometimes, the final say from the Lord is not always what you want to hear or even want to do at first hearing the plan but all we can do is be obedient, go in faith, and have a cheerful heart.

When I stepped off the airplane June 19, 2010 in Billings Montana after spending a month in Ethiopia in an orphanage, I said to myself and my best friend Jeff that I am going back there next summer. I prayed about this and I was so passionate about getting back to my kids at the orphanage to continue where we left off in work projects and our ministry and also to lead a larger group into doing that work. As I saved and prayed and the closer it got to the date where I had to confirm with my buddy Dan on whether I was going back to Ethiopia so we could purchase plane tickets God spoke up. God didn't speak loudly or in an authoritative voice that would scare you or intimidate a person into doing something but he spoke in a soft, loving way of that of a good Father. All he said is, "Joe, this isn't your time to go back." I was shocked at first. I wanted to push the subject and try to go to Ethiopia anyways but I knew I had to be obedient. So I said no to my buddy and I moved forward in prayer and faith that God had a bigger plan. As I moved forward, my new prayer was that of similar to Jabez's prayer. I prayed that God would expand my territory and stretch me, I will do whatever you wish. A month passed and God called me to go to the Dream Center in LA. So I used the money I saved up and went with the Chi Alpha group and watched God move in amazing ways. God called me next to go to Chicago with the youth to do mission work on the southside of the town. That was an amazing time also! God had a theme and a mission for me this year, to stay in the states. I was obedient and I got to be apart of some amazing ministries and memories.

When I got back from Chicago June 27, I got a sweet, sweet email from a lady that has adopted from the orphanage that I worked at in Ethiopia. She said that this organization I was working with was developing this new program that gives the orphans an opportunity to travel to America for 5 weeks to get medical work down, vacation, and also to advocated for to get adopted. She said that there were a few kids that she thought I would know that was coming to the states. I asked her where they were going to be staying and she said in Bozeman Montana with a host family! I was shocked! That is only a 2 hour drive from my home town! The next question I asked is if she new the names of the kids that were coming and as she told me a name, the profile picture on my facebook was this picture right here of a little girl that I grew very close to at the orphanage. She is like a sister to me. Her heart for Jesus is amazing! She taught me so so much in Africa on what it means to have a relationship with Christ and how to persevere in faith in the face of fear and having nothing but your faith. She is my hero! The lady said that it was this girl that was coming! I was like no way! Are you kidding me?! I was like can I see her? The lady said yeah and she gave me dates of either July 22-25. It so happened I had those days off and I was going to be driving through Bozeman that weekend! Come on God! So I was antsy for a few weeks until I got to go down to Bozeman. On my way back to Dickinson, I stopped in Bozeman. I got a hold of the host family and they gave me directions to their house. This little girl had no idea I was coming over to see her. It was a surprise. As I was driving to her house, I was tearing up as I was talking to God. I said, God you knew the wants of my heart and the passions to go back to Africa. You had a bigger plan with some other mission trips you wanted me to be apart of but in the end, you ended up bringing Africa to me! God had a way bigger plan than I could have ever put together. So when I got to the house, I went up to the door and knocked. I heard the host mother say hey ____ (sorry I can't display her name) go get the door. As she opened the door, she stood in shock and then a few seconds later she burst into tears and jumped in my arms. It was the most amazing feeling ever! So we went and sat on the couch to try to talk but she still doesn't know much English. So she ran off to her room and came back with the bible that Jeff and myself bought her a year ago right before we left to come home. She says she reads it everyday and that she reads the verse that I wrote inside the front cover of the Bible. The verse is:

 Romans 6:4 "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."  

It is amazing to see that verse come to life in her. A new life indeed that she is receiving and being blessed with because of her commitment to Christ and everyday passion and love for Him. I was totally blown away when I saw this bible again. Come on God! So good! I got to spend a couple hours with her playing connect four and I got to take photos with her. We even got Jeff on the phone with her so he and her could talk for a few minutes. That was an amazing feeling for Jeff. He wished he could have gone but felt totally blessed that he got to hear her little voice again on the phone. As we hung out, we shared different bible verses back and forth with each other and the one she has had on her heart for a while now is

Jeremiah 18:1-6 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. but the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. The the Lord gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. 


Talk about the cry of her heart. She wants to be made into whatever God wants to mold her into. Like I said, this little 11 year old is my hero!

When it came to leaving, we both didn't want this to happen. We both had tears in our eyes and we both said our good byes. As I drove home to Dickinson, I felt God's presence with me the whole drive home. Talk about the trip God took me on from the moment I got back from Africa in 2010 through the summer of 2011. Talk about the Master above all masters of great plans! I couldn't ask for a better Abba Father!

What I learned from this past year up to this point is to trust in the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind with whatever I am going through or whatever He has called me to do. He will be right next to me through it all. You just never know what can happen in the end but I know it is always good.