Lessons learned by the end of week one!

That first week really flew. There is no way around that. I cannot believe Tiff, Ray, Rachel, and Gerhard are already gone. I am sad that I am not able to go around Tirana with this terrific/fun group anymore, but I am thankful that I can begin to get down and dirty with why I came since I am now more acquainted with life here and how things work.
Right now, I would say the biggest lesson God is teaching me is that I cannot rely on my emotions. In Fireproof there is a line that one of the characters says to Caleb (the main character) that really struck a chord for me, it goes something like, you can't trust how you feel. Your heart will deceive you. You must lead your heart. During some "breakfast" with Alketa, the amazing woman I am staying with, over coffee we read a verse that echoed this, Proverbs 23:19: Here thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. As I ponder these things, I realize that even if I don't feel like doing something God wants me to do, though I already know I will do my best to obey, I know now that I will also be joyful and at peace in it. Maybe I don't feel like having that attitude, but I will lead my heart to follow the Lord and just do it. As much as I want to logically reason out how God will do things according to my desires, He is not subject to me, but rather I am to follow Him. Just like Abraham and Isaac. Abe wants a son, but loses faith and has Ismael by Hagar. He tries to fulfill God's promise his own way. But God had a bigger plan and finally gave Sarah a son. So you would think that after that big faith trial that God would leave it at that. But God has another plan and wants Abe to sacrifice his son. Abe obeys. I don't know how he does it, but he does. He commits to do it in his heart and not until the final seconds does God stop him. I want this kind of faith. I pray that as I continue here that I want to want to know God more, to the maximum capacity possible, and that I pursue it.