just wanted to say a quick hello as i am running out of computer time for the day. so hello hello and i will write a nice big update monday. love you all! : )

so, looks like updating once a week is what is feasible. its hard to get time to yrself and today, the internet is not even working on the base. so here i am at panera, writing my blog. im finding it challenging to get around and do what i want to do without a car. but then again, its not so much about what i want to do anymore. 

the basics:

i live with five other girls. katy, who is 18 and has lived all over europe sleeps above me, richelle, also 18, from texas, sleep across from me and andrea, 24  and from minnesota, sleeps above her. the other bedroom houses two other girls...stephanie, 22 and from florida sleeps above jana, 23 and from texas. there are a lot of people from texas and i have only met two others from new jersey. neither of which i have had any dialogue with. cliques are starting to form, slightly and im excited to see how they break up the work groups and service teams to remedy that. i signed up for gardening as my number one choice for work assignment. i hope they give it to me. 

i dont want to get too specific about what the Lord has done for me here but He has been touching my heart, deeper and deeper, everyday. i am understanding just a teeny bit everyday of how He really feels about me and how He really feels about His people. the perception most of us have of the Lord is so wrong. we are not aware of his serious affection for us and how His heart swoons with even the slightest turn of our face toward Him. im just going to reiterate a little from mike bickle's message. i encourage everyone to go download it for free. he urges everyone to copy them and use them for their studies and do with them whatever you like. 

so here:

God has everything. Yet, He is searching for something. What could a God who has everything possibly want? One of the most important questions you can ask is "What does God looking for?" When we discover what He is looking for, we can discover what we are looking for and understand life. Jesus tells us what God is looking for - LOVE. He is looking for love responses from our heart. He is after our heart (not our talent or money, etc.). He desires voluntary wholehearted love from us. It is fueled by the spirit of abandonment to God. He wants to take over our lives. God created us for a specific purpose and designed us with longings to fulfill that purpose...

so please, go get it. its great. seriously. im glad ill be able to hear that message again and again while i am here. 

another thing i really wanted to share was a dream that i had. in the prayer room after mike's  saturday night message we had a time of rededicating. at first i thought, i dont need to do this, i came all the way here, the Lord knows im dedicated! after a bit i felt a tugging at my heart and said okay okay God ill get up! i got up and was prayed over and my use of alcohol, specifically, misusing it, was put on my heart. i have been continuously trying to rationalize it by saying, well i dont get REALLY drunk anymore, or hey, my bar is really laid back and not crazy party but i KNOW, i mean i REALLY KNOW that its time to let the Lord take control even over that. im not sure if He is leading me to life of completely laying that down, but He is certainly saying, let me tell you what is right and wrong. anyway, i reluctantly laid it down, not even sure of the commitment i was making...or even if it was a commitment. so, fast forward to about midnight, getting ready to sleep, i asked the girls to pray over the apartment with me as i had been feeling somewhat of a presence over me. (you know, that real anxious feeling before you go to sleep...yuck!). we prayed and unfortunately, i still felt pretty anxious going to sleep but then, the Lord gave me a dream: (which by the way, i have been asking for dreams and visions)

i was at church, and a man was there...kind of worn out looking, real red skin (like it was flushed from drinking and sun burned) and he was sitting with young people. as communion was called, he stood behind me in line, as we were walking up he started putting his hands on me, sort of caressing my sides and really trying to seduce me. i started to fall back into him, starting to give in. as i got closer to the Lord's table, i started to smell the stench coming off this man. it was that of alcohol and cigarettes. he smelled so bad and as we got to the table i screamed at him to get off of me and that i did not like it anymore!!! the next night, my anxiety before bedtime was gone.

Praise Jesus.

i also wanted to share with you that i am thinking of doing a fast. they are VERY encouraging of fasting...its not "required" but it is strongly suggested for every tuesday. my housemates are all doing a daniel fast (danielfast.wordpress.com). i had no idea about this kind of fast and i guess its more useful for longer fasting. i am attempting to start on saturday or maybe even a bit early. i am going to be prayerfully considering this. if i start saturday it would take me right up until the call (thecall.com) wherein my house mates suggested going to a water fast for that day. i have never really fasted and i am excited to start and make it a regular part of my life. i want to be weak and i want the Lord to reach me there. i want to put aside my personal need of food for the sake of the Lord's will at the call. (wherein a TON of people, young people's lives can be changed). i want the Lord to meet me in this fast and bless it, even though i am a little shaky about my reasons. i dont want to just do it cuz everyone else is. pray for health and safety during this. a lot of people will be fasting, this includes a lot of young women who have struggled with eating disorders. pray.

FINALLY, i was touched by allen hood's message about offering to the poor yesterday. he told stories of giving all, when he has nothing, and the Lord always providing. he got around to talking about myanmar where a huge cyclone hit recently and devastated the people. what the Lord is doing over there is huge. so please go to ilovemyanmar.org. check it out and if the Lord gets you in that soft spot, give some. give a little, give a lot, give everything! He calls us to give. hey, crazy new concept. well, for me at least.

i love and miss you all. feel free to comment, email (helloamyp@gmail.com), call (973-303-2031) or whatever! i am here. 

lovelovelove from IHOP,

amy

My first day…
Well, this place is where the Lord wants me. That’s for sure. The house leader made a name sign for all of us. under my name there is a verse, matthew 15:32, and it reads “alive again”. Somehow, these people already know my story.
The girls that I live with are all sweet and as of day one, we all get along and have a ton in common (including a love for health and eating right and lots of vitamins!). The girls in my prayer (core) group are also some of the girls I live with and so far, we have just clicked. All of the prayers for friends and immediate connections were answered, more than answered. I even have four other girls who want to go walking with me in the morning. Now that’s awesome.
The prayer room was rough today. My focus is off a bit, but I’m confident that the Lord will redirect my thoughts. Even though everything has been going great and everyone is amazing, my insecurites are being whispered into my ears and I am therefore finding it hard to focus. I am going to be praying for those to be gone as soon as possible because I believe in order for me to move forward, I have to get over what I am so insecure about. Because it is so small, and God is so big.
As I was worshipping with some lovely ladies, I looked over and realized how amazing it is to be standing TOGETHER, praising the Lord and all looking for the same thing. Whatever we are all here for, whatever all of our different hang ups and issues are, we are all seeking the same Jesus. And that feels amazing.
Comment, leave prayer requests, whatever! I will be starting my regular prayer room time this week and will have lots of time to meditate on prayer requests. So feel free.

I love you all. Thank you for yr never ending support and love.

update: day two was a bit overwhelming as far as the schedule is concerned. we have a TEN HOUR prayer room day tomorrow and i am really scared of growing weary. i would also like to consider fasting through it. pray for me.

just checking...

hello. amy pursley here. i am going to try my best to update this blog at least once a week to keep everyone up to date on my ihop experience.

i am so grateful for the love and support i have been given in regards to this chapter of my life. that has lead me to want to update so all of you know that yr wonderful efforts have not been in vain.

love to all,

amy