Where In The World Is Micah Noel?

I recently included an update in my family's newsletter, and I thought I would share it with you here.

Greetings from Micah Noel!

I have just returned home from six months of study and service in Europe. Before I left, I decided to keep a journal throughout the trip. I wanted to have a record of what God taught me to remind myself in the future. I so easily forget the work that I have seen God do. Here is the passage I wrote on the front page, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?” (Psalm 77:10-13)

Since I returned home, I have been looking over the entries in my journal from the past six months. I would like to share with you some of the memories from my travels, and a little of what God has done in my life while I was gone I have an excerpt from my journal entry on May 11th, written in the airport the day I left. “I was reading Ephesians 1-2 earlier today. It really encouraged me because I have been going back and forth between being afraid I made a mistake in thinking this trip is God’s will for me, feeling scared to death about it all, thinking it will be okay and I can handle it, feeling overwhelmed with the thought of being gone six months, etc. I believe, though, that this is what God has for me, so I am going to step out in faith and trust Him.” Some phrases that stood out to me in Ephesians 1 were, “[God] has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ...His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves…the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

My relationship with the Lord and my understanding of who He is grew by leaps and bounds, especially during the time I was studying at L’Abri. In the past, I acted like God’s love for me depended on my performance, although I never really believed this to be true. I placed my value as a person in what I did, and of course I could never do enough to think that God or other people were fully pleased with me. Now, I have realized that my Creator’s love for me never changes, and as a result, the things I do can come out of love for Him, not because I am trying to earn His favor. A tremendous weight has been removed from my shoulders, and I feel great freedom to rest in God’s unmerited favor that I have in Christ. In my journal I wrote the lyrics to the song “In Christ Alone.” It expresses well what is on my heart. “What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.” Of course, I have known all of these things in my head for a long time, but I am just now learning what they really mean.

My purpose in visiting various ministries and missionaries in Europe was to experience the way that God is working in different places. I also wanted to be able to serve the missionaries and to minister to the people with whom I came in contact. Although I didn’t realize it beforehand, I was amazed at the diversity of the opportunities I experienced. I was able to do a lot of things that I really enjoy, such as sharing harp music in many churches and homes, teaching piano lessons, and allowing people to experience playing the harp for the first time. I also did a lot of “normal” things, such as cooking, cleaning, caring for children, organizing, etc. Of course, there were also some experiences that took me outside my comfort zone, but most of them I grew to enjoy once I got used to them—traveling from country to country by myself, starting to learn the Romanian language, communicating with people despite a language barrier, and witnessing on university campuses. What affected me the most was the people I got to meet and the relationships I developed. In only two of the places that I visited did I already know someone before hand. Yet, each place I went, I discovered a connection with people that transcended culture, ideas, customs, and language barriers. As a result of these experiences, I am learning to place more of an emphasis in my life on relationships with people.

My time in Europe was a wonderful experience of learning, growing, stretching, and enjoying God’s goodness. Thank you to all who lifted me up in prayer and supported me financially. I am thankful to have seen God at work in so many ways and so many places. I am also thankful to be home now with family and friends, and I am looking forward to what God has for me in the future. It is hard, though, because I feel like my heart is here at home and also in a lot of other places now. Lord willing, I will be able to go back at some point, but I am waiting on God’s timing.

Because of Christ’s love,

Micah Noel