And the countdown begins...

1 MONTH!!!!!!!

1 MONTH until I fly by myself for the first time!
1 MONTH until I go out of the country for the first time!
1 MONTH until I get to see more of God's creation!
1 MONTH until I get to meet more of God's children!

1 MONTH UNTIL COSTA RICA!!!!

Can you tell I'm excited?

While I still have so much to do to get ready for the trip (shots, packing, mentally preparing, spiritually preparing...) I get more excited each day. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with this opportunity! I am looking forward to getting to serve Him in a new capacity. I know He is going to stretch me and mold me on this trip. I know that He is going to teach me so many new things about Himself and who I am in Him that I would not learn outside of this environment.

This is a short post today because I am exhausted and have to get up early in the morning to play piano at both services (another blessing)!!

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

So here's the gist...

This is a support letter that I sent out to some people from my home church and family friends so if you have already received this then you can disregard this post! Although I haven't quite met my budget for all my trips, I am confident that the Lord will continue to provide. This is not a ploy to ask for your money, but rather to give you all more details on my trips so you can know more specifically how to pray for me (which is GREATLY appreciated!)

I hope this letter finds you doing well and enjoying life! I would like to inform you of the opportunities that the Lord has placed in my life recently. I would also like to ask that you join me in prayer over the next several months as I prepare to walk through the doors that God has opened for me. As you may know, I am about to start my senior year at LaGrange College working towards a Bachelor of Music in Church Music and a minor in Church Leadership. I am also currently interning with the youth department at First Baptist Church on the Square in LaGrange, Ga. I have been immensely blessed with the opportunities that the Lord has given me to grow in my relationship with Him and the situations that have molded me into the vessel that He wants to use for His glory.

Recently, I have been given three different opportunities to travel far outside of my comfort zone and spread the Good News of the Gospel outside of the United States. Lord willing, over the next year I will be traveling to the countries of Costa Rica, Honduras, and El Salvador. As you read over the plans for these trips I ask that you would prayerfully consider supporting me on these missions. I am in great need of support through prayer, as I will be stepping into three different cultures and solely relying on the Lord's guidance. But, I am also in need of financial support, as traveling is not inexpensive. I do understand that all may not be able to contribute financially, and that is okay. Prayer is just as powerful. Both forms of support will be greatly appreciated.

My trip to Costa Rica will take place July 23-30. I will be staying in the capitol, San José, Costa Rica and will be working with LightForce International Ministries. LightForce International is a ministry reaching out to women and children who are involved in or victims of exploitation and prostitution in Central America. LightForce International Ministries operates the Mariposa Project that supplies food, basic medicines, and workshops for learning a different trade to the women that only know the vocation of a prostitute. While I am in Costa Rica I will be working with the women that started this ministry by going to communities and sharing God's love with children and their families as a mode of prevention to keep them out of the dark world of human trafficking. I will also be taking part in the Agape House ministry that is a coffee shop run by LightForce International that is free for victims brought out of trafficking and is a means for us to spread the Good News of the Lord's freedom and restoration to the victims as they prepare to start a new life outside the chains of modern day slavery. For more information on this ministry and its purpose, please visit: lightforceintl.com or LightForce International Ministries on Facebook. My estimated cost for this trip is $1500.

My trip to Honduras will take place from December 26 to January 2. I will be in the small village of Gualaco, Oloncho, Honduras. I will be traveling with several other college students from my church in LaGrange. Our youth minister has started a ministry called Love Until Why, and it focuses on feeding the children and families that live in poverty in this village. The youth at First Baptist in LaGrange have been raising money for months now for the impoverished of Honduras. I will be part of the second group from our church to go to this village to help feed hungry mouths with rice and beans and more importantly, to feed hungry hearts with the Gospel. For more information on this ministry and its purpose, please visit: loveuntilwhy.com My cost for this trip is $1500.

My trip to El Salvador will take place for three weeks during the month of January. I will be between the capitol, San Salvador, and the town of Ahuachapán. I will be traveling with a group of ten other college students and two faculty members from LaGrange College. During this trip, we will get to experience a full cultural and educational immersion in Ahuachapán, El Salvador, by spending three weeks working with and for the El Salvadoran people. As a student in the field of ministry, I will be placed working with a church and doing ministry with the people of Ahuachapán. The difference with this trip verses the others is that I am blessed to be able to get internship credits towards my degree with this trip. I have also been blessed to receive a scholarship from LaGrange College that covers 85% of this trip, leaving my estimated cost to be $350.

As you can see, the Lord definitely has some amazing opportunities placed in front of me for this next year. I am anxiously looking forward to how He is going to use me in each one of these countries. Again, I just ask that you prayerfully consider your level of support as I prepare for these journeys. If you have any questions about any of these trips or want further details, please feel free to email me.

Thank you and God bless,

Amy Peek

amyepeek@gmail.com

What do beautiful feet have to do with unconditional love?

Well, I'm so glad you asked...

I created this blog as a way to document my journey to fulfill Christ's mission. I believed that the Lord has called and commanded me to take His Name to the lost and to make disciples of all nations. 

In seeking out the Lord's will, He has placed two specific words on my heart: aletheia and agape. These words may not look familiar to you, and that is because they come from the Greek language. Aletheia, or ἀλήθεια, means truth, or more literally, the state of being evident. Agape, or ἀγάπη, means love, more specifically, unconditional love. 

The first word, aletheia, led me to the scripture in Isaiah 52:7 that says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good news of happiness, who proclaim salvation, and who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" 

The second word, agape, led me to the scripture in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that says, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

The Good News that is spoken of in Isaiah is the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. It is the Good News that the One and Only God sent His One and Only Son to Earth as fully man and fully God, born of a virgin, to walk with mankind on Earth, endure the same trials and temptations as mankind on Earth, yet remain completely blameless and sinless in a sinful world. He was made a living and ultimate sacrifice by allowing Himself to be crucified on a cross and dying for the sins of all mankind, even those that hammered the nails through His hands and feet. He died, was buried, and three days later arose from the grave, victorious over death. This ultimate sacrifice made a way for us to be completely forgiven and have an intimate relationship with the Living God.

It is TRUTH and LOVE. It is ἀλήθεια and ἀγάπη in One. It should not be hidden.

I believe that Christ's mission for me is to take His Good News to those that do not know and to do everything I do out of a love that mirrors Christ. 

This blog will allow you to go on this journey with me as I prepare for different trips around the world and continue my ministry in LaGrange, Ga. 

Enjoy the journey...