Update // Tearing My House Down (Baylee)

 Hello everyone, 

I pray that this newsletter finds you becoming more deeply content in the Lord and more discontent living for what the world offers us. God has been particularly sifting through my mind and heart this month and reminding me of what matters in His Kingdom, and I pray that each of us would be empowered by the courage of Christ to let go of the ways of this world and to lean into the abundant life Jesus offers us each day! 

In this update, I want to share with you how God has been weaving this theme into the details of my life to usher in further wholeness, what He was revealing to me in my recent trip to Guatemala, and where He is placing me at Adventures in Missions currently! My hope is always that you would leave this space feeling encouraged and empowered to pursue Jesus and receive His love for you more deeply! 

A Glimpse Into My Heart

Over the past month in particular, God has been continually reminding me of His unshakeable truth found in Hebrews 12:26-28: 

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe”. 

This passage details God shaking and removing things that are seen so that what is unseen alone may remain. There is purpose and value in God’s shaking. The Lord has been taking me through this process of shaking and establishing over and over again in the last month, and in the midst of some of the internal confusion or panic that can sometimes ensue when shaking comes, He has reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24-27:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In order for my house to be built on the rock, the Lord has had to shake up the things I had believed were sure and steady to build upon. If my old belief systems, values, fears, and identities do not come down, there will be no space for what is unshakeable and unseen, which is the Kingdom of God, to be established. Though this process can be uncomfortable and feel laborious, I’m beginning to see it as one of the many ways God is answering my prayers to become more like Jesus, and for that I am thankful! In this specific way God has been refining me, I have also found a lot of joy in the new things He is establishing in my life, one of them being the renewal of desire for adventure and trying new things! I’ve recently stepped into leading worship in my house and trying new activities like playing soccer and pickle ball, and I truly feel as though I have experienced a new side of the Lord through simply letting go of expectations I hold for myself and stepping into new things! I want to bring glory to the Father in all things - work, word, play, and in the meditations of my heart, and I am thankful for the ways in which God has been guiding me to worship Him in new ways! 

What Am I Up To Now?

I am in my third month of being on staff with the World Race in Gainesville, Georgia! Our team is currently gearing up for the return of our on-field missionaries for their final debrief as well as new missionaries who will be arriving this summer for their training. In this season of preparation, I have taken on an additional role as an advisor of a squad who will be launching overseas this summer! Essentially, I have the opportunity to be the mentor and logistics manager for this group until they arrive on our campus for training! I vividly remember calls with my advisor back in 2022 when I was preparing for the World Race, and I was blessed to have gleaned so much wisdom, encouragement, and care from him during a time when I really needed it. There is something very special about someone playing a significant role in your life, and then further down the road, having the opportunity to be that person for someone else. I feel honored to be placed in a role that heavily involves one-on-one discipleship as well as logistical support, as I love and am passionate about both of these areas, particularly when they intersect with one another! I have learned so much in my time on staff already, both in the operations side of things as well as learning simply from being around other staff members who walk with the Lord so uniquely and powerfully. I’m eager to see how God continues to awaken and activate His people, specifically Millennials and Generation Z!

Prayer Requests:

• That my first and deepest pursuit would be to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. 

• I had the beautiful opportunity to spend a week with my boyfriend, Ethan and the group of missionaries he is leading in Guatemala at the beginning of this month! Pray for us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness in our relationship and for continued strength as we continue in long-distance until May! Pray also for wisdom and strength as Ethan continues to lead! 

• Prayer for people to come to our campus with soft and curious hearts that are ready to experience the love of Jesus! 

• Pray for me to firstly put myself daily in a position to receive the love of Christ so that I may lead people nearer to the heart of God in my home, family, friendships, and workplace!

Speaking of prayer, I have a new means for us to all connect through prayer! This year, the Lord has been reminding me of the true power of prayer, and I have been dreaming about a better way to connect with you all through prayer and smaller updates. For this reason, I have created a prayer team through a platform called Prayvine, which will allow me to send prayer requests to you through email in real-time! When I send a prayer request, it will show up in your emails, but you have the freedom to unsubscribe if you wish. Feel free to send a response back to me with your prayer requests as well, it is my joy to pray for each of you! My hope is that this will create space for deeper connection between us and for all of our prayer lives to be enriched as we commune with the Father on behalf of one another! 

Currently, I am funded as a missionary through the generosity of supporters like you! If you feel led to financially support me, please contact me so we can set aside time to connect at bgmurphy22@gmail.com or send me a text! You can also visit the “Join My Team!” tab on this site, or click this link: https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/affiliated-missionary/participants/baylee-murphy2

Thank you all for taking the time to read another update, I pray that each of us would not put our trust and confidence in the things of this world, but that we would be transformed to live as the psalmist in Psalm 20:7 writes: 

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

I love you all and am eager to see how God will continue to transform each of us more fully into the image of His Son!

Much love, 

Baylee