Arla Mitchell, Come to the Fire Flautist and Testimony Speaker,

Our 2011 CTTF theme is about entering God’s rest taken from Hebrews 4:11. As a mother of two young boys, active church worker, wife and friend to so many, will you tell us what it means to you to enter God’s rest? What benefits do you receive by resting in God?
I have found that I have to continually return to God's Word to stay at rest. He often brings just the right Scripture for those moments when I could choose to rest in Him or become unsettled in my spirit. One of my favorite verses, and one I think on almost daily, is "Those who trust the Lord shall not be disappointed." When I am faced with an opportunity to become disappointed or worried, I say, "Lord, in this situation, I choose to trust You." Trusting him completely is a decision, not an emotion or feeling. When I do that, the turmoil goes away, and I again experience His rest.

You're an accomplished flautist. Women attending Come to the Fire enjoy hearing you play so much. Can you tell us about your musical background?
I began playing the flute in fifth grade and had previously begun piano lessons around the age of six. I was fortunate to attend a small church so even when I was just learning the flute, I could play in the church orchestra--which was sometimes just the piano, organ and myself! They also gave me lots of opportunities to play specials. I was somewhat shy, so I loved being able to express my love for the Lord and the messages of songs through my flute playing. Later, it seemed natural to follow in my mother's footsteps and major in music in college.

You and Kris adopted two babies from Viet Nam. When did God put adoption in your heart and how are Peter and Jack changing your lives?
God first gave Kris the desire to adopt when he was about 13 years old as he watched a video at his church about Chinese orphans. From that point on, he knew his children were to come through adoption. When we got married, God also made clear to me that adoption was His best plan for our family.

We adopted Peter, now age 9, and Jack, age 4, as infants from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. What a privilege to know that out of all the millions of orphans in the world, God hand-picked these two for us to care for.

For the past two years, I have home-schooled Peter and have loved this time with him. Now Jack is eager to have his own school time. As I am on this journey, I especially like praying Isaiah 54:13: "I (God) will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace" (NLT).