Ok I’m going to hit the ground running.
This blog is going to be very informational, but very intentional.
The first announcement is that the ext two countries I will no longer be serving in Cambodia and Eswatini (Swaziland).
Due to current violent circumstances and safety restrictions, my squad got rerouted.
We will now be going to Johannesburg, South Africa and Croavia, Romania. I’m very excited to see the hand of God around my friends and myself s we travel to this other countries that we didn’t initially choose ourselves. With this new update I ask everyone reading this to please keep Eswatini and Cambodia deep in your prayers. There is still a heavy need in both places and even if we can’t be there physically, the spiritual world is an even greater battle ground.
As of now, I’ve been in Guatemala for about a month now, marking three months on the Race.
My team and I’s ministry has been so life giving. We work with a church in Joco “Hoco” Tenango, helping with the youth group, cleaning, and teaching English. We have served every Friday in the town doing ATL (ask the Lord) with a dear friend Anna, who lives in the town working with the Adventure in Missions base. On Wednesdays my team travels to a near village off the town of Parramos with one of our ministry hosts, Aderkee and his wife Mikayla. We visit houses and invite kids to play soccer in a nearby field on the side of a mountain opening up to a glorious view. The children are sweet feisty kids who have welcomed us with open arms, despite our lack of soccer skills. On Monday nights we travels to the village of Chimachua, which touches the clouds. We visit homes, color with kids, play games they teach us, and love each one of them as much as we can.
I’m going to be honest, the days are long, the language barrier is even harder, and sometimes I just want to sleep in a little longer. I want socks that don’t have holes in them, I want to come home to the US for just a week, and I want to see a Kroger again. I want to not cry for at least a week, I want to stop stretching my mind and soul, and I want to go to the chiropractor really really badly. BUT, a huge “but”!!!! I want to stay even more. I want to see this kids grow closer to Jesus, I want to grow even closer to Jesus, I want to keep growing the Kingdom of God!
Before I left someone told me, “You are going to grow more than everyone going to college combined.” I was honestly so shocked! I’m around the same 42 people, doing the same thing every week, how am I supposed to grow more? But, they were right. They were right in the fact that I am spiritually growing more than I have in the past three years in these past three months. I am engulfed in a community who represent the Kingdom of God so well, with a Biblical mindset as their tool box. I’m on my knees daily begging God to take me deeper into His plans and into His heart. I’m on the floor of the bathroom at 3am shaking with fear, because I can feel the Devil breathing down my back. I’m crying, as I read Psalm 22 out loud trying to fight for my sanity and relief.
Things I didn’t know was real, or going to happen, or just general realizations:
*The spiritual world warfare can and has come into the physical realm, while being here
*the heartache of missing family and friends is a pain I’ve never experienced, and wish upon no one
*There is a form of tongues spoken over me that surpassed my head and went straight to my heart and brought me to tears, without understanding what was said
*You WILL run out of gas if you don’t spend time with the Lord to receive after giving all day
*You WILL learn to rest all day, recharging is different
*tattoos don’t hurt
*My dreams is the place the Lord speaks to me the most, because He can have my full attention
*Christians never stop building the Kingdom, we just haven’t realized that even when we are out with friends or siting watching TV we should always be listening for God’s direction and who He’s highlighting. Every Christian is a missionary. period.
I wish y’all the very best! Merry Christmas!
