Stars

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."
Philippians 2:14-15(NIV)
this verse has been a major part of my life recently. there have been some issues and instances where i had to make a decision as to whether or not i should participate in some things that would not necessarily constitute as a sin but might hurt my witness. as i was deciding, there were times that i would try to justify my soon-to-be-action because it would "open me up to a whole new people group". one night we studied this verse in our middle school class at church and i was God-slapped: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:2(NIV)
that answered my question and i immediately was able to make my decision. God doesn't need me to be a witness by hovering on the line of right and wrong. there's already enough Christians doing that. instead, He calls us to be transformed and to be living sacrifices for Him. we need to reflect His glory to the best of our ability. it's easy to say "yes" and have the world assume nothing of it, but saying "no" leads to more opportunities of being a better witness.
this seems to be a popular subject these days and i wanted to put my two cents in there :)

anyway, this week has been pretty eventful. i praise God for all that took place, both good and seemingly bad. i try to remind myself that everything happens for a reason and God's always in control. here is one thing i will tell you about. we had a scare when josh found out his application wasn't accepted all because of a technicality. we are very grateful it has been/is being resolved.
as far as i know the guys (andy and josh) are done with their classes until after peru! what a relief for them. i am working a little less and will be done at auntie anne's i believe on the 19th until i return! i'm still praising God for a job when i get back!!!
please continue to be praying for us as the day arrives. personally, i am now at the point where i feel like i'm running out of time before i go. again, i need to remember that God's in control.
that's all for now. thanks for reading!
~chelsea ><>

p.s. 19 more days to go