La Selva

Well I just got back from the jungle for 4 days, and I am so excited that I can feel clean and refreshed compared to feeling nasty and smelling like sweat. Despite the nastiness, I had such a wonderful time. Life is so different down there. Different plants, different animals, different pace, different people. And for once, I am thinking that different is a good thing. The land is some of the most beautiful land in the world. I can never, ever describe the gorgeousness of the land with my simple human words. Sure, it was hot and HUMID, but the people there.... YALL. So beautiful on the outside, but even more beautiful on the inside. The Chacauco staff and the Gardendale group were split in to two groups to work in two different places, Archidona and a place that I can't pronounce that had never had evangelical intervention before. And of course, I went to the place I can't pronounce. It was such a blessing to sit back and watch the kids hear the gospel for the first time.. ever. I will always remember how we arrived and how the kids greeted us. We had to travel down a road (if you could call it that) for 20 minutes in the middle of the jungle, to a tiny school with about 20 kids on the first day, all barefoot and mud caked. So excited to see us gringos. So excited to see what and who this "Jesus" is and what He is about. The next day we made so much of an impact that the school had us come in during the school day and tell the gospel to the whole school. Talk about a humbling experience. I thought, Lord I don't deserve this blessing and privilege. For all the times I have goofed up, messed up, failed You Lord, I don't deserve to come to this community and watch them take in the gospel for the first time. But, Lord I am so glad you look past all my problems, my issues, my hang ups, and you still call me to proclaim your name. The Lord has put a song on my heart lately and I would love to share it with you all.

"Rooftops" - Jesus Culture

Here I am before You, falling in love and seeking Your truthKnowing that Your perfect grace has brought me to this placeBecause of You I freely live, my life to You, oh God, I giveSo I stand before You, GodI lift my voice cause You set me free
So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaimThat I am Yours, I am Yours
All the good You've done for me, I lift up my hands for all to seeYou're the only one who brings me to my kneesTo share this love across the earth, the beauty of Your holy worthSo I kneel before You, GodI lift my hands cause You set me free
So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaimThat I am Yours, I am YoursAll that I am, I place into Your loving handsAnd I am Yours, I am Yours
Here I am, I stand, with arms wide openTo the One, the Son, the Everlasting God

This song really gets at me and my heart for this trip. I want to tell the whole world about this Jesus and tell about how He's messed up my old life and gave me hope and new life. And this trip to the jungle gave me that confidence and love for proclaiming his name to the nations. 

          So thank you for reading along again! Gardendale left about 5 hours ago and I miss them so much already! They were such a blessing as they were constantly working and being servants of the Lord, which isn't surprising. Since their leader is one of my favorite people in the world, and the definition of servant leadership I'm not surprised that this group was like that! Pray for me as I begin this journey after Gardendale and particularly against discouragement, since my camera broke yesterday afternoon, and am now reduced to taking pictures on my phone. Satan uses anything and everything to distract me from the Lord's purpose and will! I love you all and thank you! 

Morgana Ramsey
Isaiah 6:8

The golden calf

IT'S OFFICIAL. I have survived my first week here in Ecuador, and can I just say.... it has been crazy! Weddings, baby dedications, a full week of VBS, painting a daycare, and standing in the middle of a cloud (which is the coolest part). It has been so nice getting back into the swing of things and seeing the  Chacauco staff that I love oh so much! It has been so busy with a loaded schedule, and about to get even crazier as we embark on a three day camp tonight and going to the jungle next week! But even more importantly, Gardendale is coming in just a few minutes and I am so excited to see my daddy and my friends! This week has been filled with excitement, love, and challenges. I've been struggling with the concept of love. I have been reading in 1 Peter lately for my quiet time, and have found the expression "deeply love" very constant. I was thinking and praying, "Lord I am here with the people I love so much, doing what I love so much, what are you trying to teach me?". Then it hit me like a brick wall. Do I love these people and this country more than I love the Lord? Anything.. let me repeat. Anything and everything that comes between my relationship with the Lord is an idol. I totally experienced a V8 moment. If you hear the name Morgan Ramsey, many people think the girl that goes to Ecuador all the time. And that's cool and everything, but that's not what I want to be known for. I want to be known as the girl that passionately loves Jesus, and wants to serve her Lord wherever He calls, Ecuador or not.
        The Lord has speaking to me and saying is Ecuador your golden calf? Is it my idol that I love more than the Lord? I sure hope the answer is no, but it is something I am chewing on. I want to the love the Lord with my whole being, not just because He has called me to serve this summer in Ecuador, not just because he has called me to the mission field, but because He first loved me, because He gave His life for the wacked up messed up me. Because He is my redeemer, Savior, lover of my soul, healer,  my counselor, my King, my Lord, my Alpha and Omega. Do I/we deserve this? ABSOLUTELY NOT. We will never deserve his grace and love. Who are we to give anything less to the Lord of all creation.
       So pray for me as I come to grasp this concept. I pray the Lord transforms my heart this summer in a new way. Not for more love of Ecuador or its people, but more of Him. Thank you for praying for me through this journey! I love you all and thank you for reading along!

Morgan Ramsey
Isaiah 6:8
       

It's gonna be worth it

Man. I'm finally here, doing what I've been wanting to do for almost a year! So much craziness, as my friend Mauricio would say. Where do I begin.. Such a long flight, such a long day, and such a long night it was on Friday. I think I went to bed at 5:00 AM that night, and got up at 7:00, two hours later. I'm still trying to recuperate from that night. But, God is still good and is still on his throne.
     Today was one of the coolest days of my life. We went to a wedding in a city called Apatug and witnessed God's beautiful hand on this couple's life. This couple got officially married three years ago, and just now had their ceremony in the church. The couple was married as unbelievers to begin with, but the husband came to know the Lord one year later, and the wife came to know the Lord this past January. They decided that they wanted to have their ceremony in the church in order to give all glory to the Lord. The wedding lasted almost three hours, not including the night long reception at the grooms house and then the brides home. It is SO different from American weddings, like.. SO different. There is so much information I couldn't possibly write it all down, but it was so incredible.
     But, the wedding wasn't the coolest part of my day. Brother Steve, the missionary I am interning with, talked about the story of the town of Apatug. A group of 11 people heard about a folklore concert in town and decided to go hear it. What they didn't know was it was a Christian folklore concert. (Background: Ecuador is very Catholic, and during the 1970's-80's there was heavy persecution upon Christians). These 11 because born again believers and began meeting in one of their houses for bible study. Long story short, the Catholic Church found out about these secret meetings, and stormed their house. The church even waited 2 days for them to come out, and eventually tore the house to the ground, literally. They took these 11 and beat them with sugar canes, making them bleed profusely, and then used bullnettle (a type of plant that releases sap that burns open wounds extremely) and put it all over their body. Then they stripped them naked (the worst offense you could ever do upon someone in this community), put ice cold water on them, and tied them up on a mountain (14,000 feet above sea level). Eventually, they untied themselves and went back to the house of rubble and STILL studied the word of the Lord. Please go back and read that sentence again, because I am still trying to wrap my mind around it. The person that told the missionary this story, was an agent of the Catholic Church that beat these people, but also was a father to one of the 11. He beat his daughter, stripped her naked, and embaressed her in front of the entire community. But out of persecution, this church in Apatug was born, and now is at 250 people, in a very tiny church. I mean totally packed out.
         I started thinking about this, and I thought If I was beaten with sugar cane, If I was smothered with bullneetle, if I was stripped naked, If I was bathed in ice water, what would be my response? Give up? Would I go back and still follow the Lord? I hope the answer is yes, but these questions really make you think. I think in America, we don't understand persecution. I don't think we've begun to scratch the surface. It makes me think that people leave church because no one says hello to them, someone took their seat, they don't sing the solos, it's too much money, and all these petty reasons. MAN. How many true Christians are there in the world that would say," Lord I'm willing to give everything, my family, my friends, my job, my status, to follow you and endure persecution if I have to. I'm still trying to grasp this. I can only imagine the courage, strength, humbelness, fear these 11 had to still follow the Lord. Maybe they thought of the title of the wonderful song, "It's gonna be worth it." This song rips me apart when I hear it. Everything we endure here on this earth, deserving or not, is all going to be worth it when we see our Lord Jesus Christ, the redeemer and lover of our soul.
          I hope you all pray through this concept with me as I begin to chew on this concept throughout this journey. Pray for us as we have a group from Kentucky, and we start VBS tommorrow. And then I see Gardendale on Thursday! I can't wait to see their group and work with them! Thank you for reading along and praying for me!

Morgan Ramsey
Isaiah 6:8

Jesus, you are my Passion

The bags are packed, the hair is cut, the car is loaded, the alarm is set, the tickets are printed. I am looking at my bags experiencing a weird mixture of pure excitement and anxiousness. Excitement being due to serving the Lord for two months and doing exactly what I am called to do, and anxiousness due to traveling all day tomorrow and facing the unknown. So many emotions are crowding my head as I have said "see you laters" to so many loved ones this week, and the realization that I will not see them until I'm 19! So weird. But this Wednesday was a turning point in my emotions.  Brother Roy McNiel spoke on Jeremiah 1 this past worship night at Oasis at Gardendale First Baptist Church. I had never really studied this passage, but can I just say it FLOORED me. It was exactly what I needed to hear, exactly WHEN I needed it! Not surprising, because my God is a God of specificity and timing. Here is what the passage says:

Jeremiah 1:5-10; 17-19 (NLT)
"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations'. 'Oh Sovereign Lord', I said, 'I can't speak for you! I'm too young!' The Lord replied, 'Don't say I'm too young, for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!' Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, 'Look I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant"

17-19
"Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land- the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord have spoken".

Man. When I heard this scripture, I literally felt as the force of the world jerked me back against my seat. I am truly called to not be afraid and tell the world what the Lord says and his good news. The exciting part of this, is I am not too young! Nor will I ever be to young nor too old to do God's will! WHAT AN ENCOURAGEMENT. To think I am literally going to live out his calling in less than 24 hours is crazy to me. But at the same time, I am reminded that yes, I am going to a foreign country to tell people about why I love Jesus, but am I not called to do the same here in los Estados Unidos? For who ever is reading this, don't feel like you have to move across the world for two months, give up all your belongings, your family, your friends, your everything. Because the Lord doesn't call us all to do that. We are to be LIGHT here and every where we go. Don't hide it under a bushel, because eventually that bushel will burn up! The Lord will have His way done, using me or without me.

The key is obedience. I am not saying I have it all together, because trust me I DON'T. This is something I am learning every day. I am called to follow the Lord where ever He leads, whenever He leads. And as I am taking this step of faith into the uncertain, I am learning to trust in His perfect plan, just like Abraham did. And I think Abraham turned out pretty well off :).

So thank you for reading, praying, fasting, and loving me, just as the body of Christ is supposed to. But, please don't stop here. I will be keeping up frequently throughout my faith experience in Ecuador. This journey is only beginning. And this is only the first chapter.

Morgan Ramsey
Isaiah 6:8

Jesus Culture "You are my Passion"
I'm alive to bring, glory to You, King 
God of victory, You are my passion It's in the way You are, You don't change at all Great and humble God, You are my passion 
My strength in life, is I am Yours My soul delights because I am Yours Your will on earth is all I'm living for 
Jesus I glorify Jesus my love is Yours You are my heart's desire I live to know You more 
Light that breaks the darkness, showing what true love is Always full of goodness, You are my passion You never do me wrong, the meekest man but strong The most perfect song, You are my passion

TWO WEEKS AND COUNTING!

1 Week, 5 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes, and 8 seconds until that wonderful day when I board the plane for Ecuador, South America for two months! ISN'T THAT CRAZY? I feel like I was just starting my freshman year at Samford, and seeking the Lord's face on what to do for this summer. This year has flown by and I am sitting here wondering, where in the world did it go? I feel like I just started band camp last week and had my first class yesterday! I could never express in words the wonderful experiences I have had at Samford and the Jesus-reflective friends I have made. I MISS THEM ALREADY. These past few weeks have been crazy with finals, and so sad with saying goodbyes to my friends for the summer. To say thank you to the people that have made my freshman year so spectacular, would be an inadequate use of my gratitude. So, I thank the Lord Jesus the ultimate reason of where I am, and who I have met. I have been blessed MORE than I ever will deserve.
          All of this to say, I am where I am because of the Lord Jesus; plain and simple. His call on my life into missions is about to play out in less than two weeks and I am so nervous and excited all in one. Isn't that weird? I keep thinking to myself to calm my heart, Kari Jobe's lyrics to Run to you, "Lord you are calling me and beckoning me, with love abounding. And I run to you. I need you... I can't get enough of you. I come alive when I am in your presence. Oh God of my salvation." So many thoughts are running through my mind like, "I need to get shampoo, I need to get my medicine, I need to make a copy of my passport, I need money for this and that", and God has been reminding me in all of this that all I need is Him. My mind is stressed to the max with "to-do's"and He is beckoning me to run to Him and find his overwhelming peace. As Sarah Young would say, I am learning to make the Lord my focal point in all circumstances. As silly as it sounds, in EVERY situation I am learning to say Lord, I need you. This includes me saying this in grocery trips, raising my money to go, and packing my suitcase. "Lord I need you when picking out my shampoo, Lord I need you to provide the money, Lord I need you to give me rest, Lord I need you in every instance in my life. Every little thing Lord, I need you. Because, Lord you are my everything.
          Please pray for me as these last weeks here in los Estados Unidos are numbered and out of control busy! Pray for a peaceful heart as I fly from Birmingham to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Quito, my family as I leave them all summer (including during my 19th birthday), and my health! So many prayer requests I know, but I am praying this is a summer that will change my life, and that I will experience the Lord in a way in like no other. I want to come back so changed and mesmerized by the Lord and what He can do, that my heart is overflowing with the joy of the Lord. I keep singing a Kari Jobe song, (yall she is the best), "my heart will always sing, I love you, I love you." Despite circumstances I will always love the Lord, because of his sacrifice and his unconditional love towards me. Thank you so much for praying for me and reading along! I love you all!


"We will rise to praise you. Offer our lives before you. Let every nation, all of creation, we will rise. You are worthy, life up our eyes to your glory. Let every nation, all of creation, we will rise"
- Kari Jobe, shocker I know

Morgan Ramsey
Isaiah 6:8

2 month stretch!

As I reach this two month stretch of until I leave for Ecuador, I'm reflecting on so many things and preparing my heart for what is to come. First of all, thank you so much for reading along and praying for me as I take this journey of faith for 2 months. Words do not express the excitement I feel as I know I am going to be visibly and spiritually the hands and feet of our Lord. Last summer, I was an intern in Ecuador for about 1 month, and can I just say it was definitely not long enough. I don't know if I'll ever experience that "long enough" feeling. My thoughts are constantly consumed with returning and seeing the people I love oh so much.
As you think of me and pray for me throughout this journey pray for some specific things. 1) Please pray for safety as I travel via airplane, buses, cabs, practically anything with 4 wheels, I will be in. I will be in the mountains for about a month and a half at heights of 11,000 to 16,000 feet above sea level. (thats really, really high). I will be traveling to the jungle as well for about 2-3 weeks. It's a very humid and HOT climate, but I hear that the people are so genuine and just oozing Jesus. I am so excited, but I'm still getting used to the idea of ice cold showers, no air conditioning, no internet access. Talk about a real detox from American culture. (But I think thats what I'm excited about the most). 2). Health. Now this is big for me, and honestly this is what I am most anxious about. You may or not know, but I struggle with genetic high blood pressure. It's not a good feeling when my blood pressure is high. Also, last year I had bronchitis, which was a real hinderance for me. I felt completely ineffective, because I was so sick. Satan uses anything and everything to distract me from doing God's purpose, even using my health to distract me. 3). Pray for me to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I want in Ecuador, and in America, for people to see me and see my savior Jesus Christ. If they see old sinful me, then what I am doing is pointless. I want the Lord to use me in a unique and powerful way this summer. I am so excited about what He is going to do, it keeps me up at night, literally. I can not wait to see salvations, re-dedications, baptisms, those precious children, and what the Lord is going to do through me, and Camp Chaucuo's WONDERFUL staff.
Excited is a severe understatement of what I feel, as I am getting closer and closer to leaving on my flight on May 31st. I have heard it said many times, that you are at your point of most happiness and JOY, when you are in the center of the Lord's will and living out His call for your life. I know, and as most of you know, that the Lord has called me to missions, and this is just the beginning of what He has in store for me. So right now, I am clinging to Psalms 46:10 to be still and know that he is the Lord, and he WILL draw all nations to himself. Thank you so much for reading and tagging along on my journey. Due to finals and the many obligations I have at my wonderful job and the absolutely wonderful Samford University,  I will try to give you an update of when I can.

Isaiah 6:8, "And the Lord said who will be a messenger to the people and go for us? and I said Here am I. SEND ME."

Morgan Ramsey