January 2015… It seems like a long way away. 258 days, 37 weeks, 8 months. Everyday I wake up one day closer. Some days I wake up with excitement! I am going to 11 different countries next year! Some days I wake up terrified… I am going to 11 different countries next year…
Let’s stay excited. I want to tell you where I am going and what I am excited about in each country and what challenges I think I will face.
January 2015 = India: I have actually been to India before. The summer of 2011 I went to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India to study abroad for 6 weeks. I have seen the poverty and the smelt the garbage, but despite some of the stereotypes India is quite beautiful. The people are curious and friendly, smiling and laughing. There are a lot of them too :). The way they dress.. the colors the women wear and the braids of their long dark hair.. they are beautiful. The architecture is gorgeous! In Hydrabad alone.. palaces, and ancient ruins, beautiful mosques, and archways. Don’t forget the Taj Mahal! I expect India will be amazing. I cannot wait to see where God will show up in the lives of this extremely populated diverse country. I am a little worried about food.. I am a pretty picky eater.. I think that will be a major challenge in every country I go to..
February 2015 = Nepal: Wow… The Himalayas.. I expect phenomenal scenery. I expect to be in awe of God’s creation in Nepal. When I think of Nepal I picture native people in mountain climbing outfits with big beards and big families. I think about sitting around a campfire and ministering to people in English… (which is pretty naive of me..) I think about setting up my tent at the base of the mountains and experiencing the glory of God at night. A challenge I haven’t really thought about a lot is the language barrier I will be facing. I am wanting to reach people who’ve never heard the good news of Jesus Christ and how can I tell them if I can’t speak their language..?
March 2015 = South Africa: Giraffes!!!! I expect to be walking down the dirt road and see a herd of giraffes coming up the road to meet me 🙂 I am kind of a giraffe fan. I am also expecting to love on young children while in South Africa. I have had dreams about adopting children and coming home and being a mother to 11 children.. (one from each country) I think of South Africa as ‘tamed Africa’ almost, more established civilizations than other countries on the continent. I wouldn’t expect to be ministering to tribal villages in this country.. (I could be totally wrong I’ve never been to Africa!) Challenge in Africa.. bugs. I don’t like creepy crawly things… When I think of Africa I think of giant spiders and fire ants.
April 2015 = Swaziland: Again, giraffes.. 🙂 I don’t really know what to expect in Swaziland.. In all the countries I expect God to show up. I pray for divine appointments and for Him to prepare the hearts of those my team and I will come in contact with. I pray we are still attached to the vine and that we haven’t grown weary of the poverty and the illness. I pray our spirits will be encouraging and inspiring. I think of a couple challenges that could arise in the 4th month of travel. Sickness, homesickness, faintheartedness.
May 2015 = Mozambique: The third and last African country on my route. As I research this country I am more and more excited to go. It is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa and it is growing in Christianity. The partnerships Adventures in Missions has in Mozambique are flourishing and I am so excited to come along side them and experience the miracles myself. I don’t think I’ll want to leave!
June 2015 = Latvia: Since I’m leaving Mozambique for Latvia I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. I expect to see lots of tradition and lots of history. Rooted in the northeastern part of Europe is this quiet, forgotten land. I expect to see old beliefs torn down and the new life Jesus offers being built up. Challenges in Latvia might be culture shock..
July 2015 = Estonia: I feel Estonia will be a continued work from Latvia. A nation looking for the freedom Jesus brings. I think about walking the streets in Estonia and talking about Jesus to shop owners and patrons at a cafe. I think about sharing my story of a Father’s love to young women. Challenges.. I know there are more challenges than I can think of… pray for soft, available, and receptive hearts to hear the Gospel and minister to anyone and everyone we meet.
August 2015 = Thailand: I am so excited to get back to Asia. I think God is moving mountains right now in Asia. Thailand is about 95% Buddhist. I expect to see radical changes in lifestyles.. as people turn to God and accept His gift of eternity, instead of working their whole lives for enlightenment and falling short and seeing discouragement I hope to bring the encouragement of Jesus to these people. And love them for who they are not what they’ve done. Again, a challenge of receptive hearts and opportunities to share the Gospel.
September 2015 = Burma: Honestly, I had never heard of this country before the route came out. I expect Burma to blow me away. No expectations of beauty no expectations of people. I think Burma will be one of my favorite countries.. Just on a hunch. Challenges in Burma food again.. I don’t really like any Asian food..
October 2015 = Cambodia: Is a hub for human trafficking. This is huge on my heart.. Children not getting a childhood because they were sold into or stolen for such evil! It breaks my heart. A challenge I will face here if we are partnered with an organization to help children who are in the sex slave or have been rescued from it.. I know I will feel an anger. The challenge will be to hate the sin not the people doing it. ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.’
November 2015 = Vietnam: I will have my birthday in Vietnam!! WOOHOO! I want to share with you why I chose this route. Short story bear with me. When I fell in love with Jesus last summer I asked God to give me the gift of tongues. I was scared that I wasn’t doing it right and I asked Him to teach me. He spoke 4 words to me and told me to repeat them and so I did. Then, as I was repeating the words God said – ‘Google translate it’… I know what you are thinking… But yes! I went to google and translated the phrase.. I went through each language and parts of the phrase translated but it wasn’t until Vietnamese did the whole phrase translate to ‘Is the perfect place’. Now at the time I didn’t think much of it being Vietnamese, I just thought I was in the perfect place.. Later on I had a vision while I was praying in tongues and I got a feeling I was speaking Vietnamese again.. and this little girl was trying to translate my words!.. This is around the time I started looking into mission trips. I thought man God wants me to go to Vietnam! SO I told Him I am open, but You have to show me how to get there. I found The World Race and pretty much knew I was going to do it. I chose this particular route because Vietnam is the last country we go to and if He has more for me than a month in Vietnam I trust He will reveal that to me and open doors only He can while I am in the country. Needless to say I am SO excited for this country and what He has in store for me there. One major challenge in Vietnam is they are a closed country .. It is illegal to be a missionary in Vietnam- I ask you pray for protection over me and my team and for opportunities to minister to people.
If you got this far in the post YOU ROCK!!
December 2015 = only God knows!!
As I prepare for this journey I ask that you pray for me and my team, for any and all of these challenges. And I ask that you thank Him for sending me out & praise Him for the established ministries we will be coming along side of.
