I knew coming into this month, that I was going to love it. I had been looking forward to coming here and couldn’t wait to see what God had in store. Our team has been busy with ministry but I’ve had awesome opportunities to pull away and spend time with Jesus. He has been ministering to me and I’ve been ministering to him. It’s really grand! He’s also opened tons of doors for sharing the gospel. Everyday a new adventure, everyday an opportunity to bring laughter, joy, truth and love to people. I’m beside myself pretty much everyday.
Last week we had the opportunity to travel 10 hours north to Nha Trang. It’s sooo beautiful and we did so much in such a short amount of time. I basically fell in love with the people I met and my heart got freaking huge. I went swimming on our last day there with one of my friends. We were talking about what God was doing in our lives and then we shared how much we love telling people about Jesus. She told me that she wanted to talk to some of the little wagon drivers, and asked if I wanted to go talk to them before we left. Of course I said yes, and we were over there sharing the truth with them. It was awesome because there were two of them at first, then within moments, five people came and listened. We were able to tell them the truth of God’s love and they understood. We gave them all a little Bible and I came back later on to take photos of the beach and one of the men we talked to was reading it. I just felt so overwhelmed with God’s kindness, and that he would open their hearts to hear Him.
This woman stole my heart the minute I laid eyes on her. She’s the tiniest little thing and just is a little spitfire. She loved to love, just like me. She hugged me, danced with me and let me kiss her cheeks. She was just another gift from God, saying “Birk, here’s another little nugget that you can love.” Yay, thanks Abba!
This darling soul completely stole my heart, and I know he’s close to his Abba Father. He’s had leprosy for 20 years and he was homeless before coming to the church to get help. Once, he arrived he came to know Jesus and lives in his home with a couple other men. His name is difficult to pronounce and Lord knows I can’t spell it, so I’ll call him “joy.” He didn’t stop smiling the whole time we were there. I felt prompted that our group should sing, “Lean on Me” for him and he absolutely loved it. I’ll never forget praying for him and spending time just seeing the joy he expressed with every breath. Bless you “joy”
God has given me so much joy in the college students I’ve made friends with. I have so many from just a short amount of time and I’ve loved spending time with them. I teach them American slang, ghetto terms and my own language. I really have fun with them. They take me around and make me laugh alot too. I am so grateful for the friendships I’ve formed with so many of them. This is just one of the girls that has captured my heart. She’s the sweetest thing.
Can I just say there are some people that completely melt your heart in an instant because they are the sweetest? Well, Thay did. He has had leprosy most of his life, and is healed of it now. The effects of the leprosy has left his hands disfigured, but hasn’t had any effect on his heart for God, his beautiful voice and his love for people. Get your worship on!
On our trip we went to the youth night and had worship with the students. It was a special night because I was able to share some of my story and encourage them to love Jesus more. They were the most innocent, welcoming students. I felt so appreciated and important. I will never forget playing silly games with them outside gathered around a lantern because their power was out. I won’t forget singing hymns and worshipping with candlelight in a little chapel. They are precious to Him.
Oh my goodness one of the most precious moments on this race was when I rubbed the feet of a blind, autistic child. He was just over at his desk working on his little braille machine and not bothering anyone. I couldn’t resist the chance to make him laugh and tell him he is loved. He let me just sit next to him, and let him just do his thing. He was making me laugh, and I was giving him a little foot rub. I could just feel God’s love for him. It was pretty awesome for sure!
What’s awesome about my month is that I started meeting people the very first day and forming relationships. One of my friends has shown me so much of the city, taking me swimming in this crazy heat, to get bubble tea, movies and even invited me into her home the first day I met her. This picture was taken when we went out one day for sushi and we had on all our motorbike gear.
There are so many more stories, people and experiences this month, and I hope to never forget the miracles God did this month in my heart, and their hearts! Basically these are snapshots of my month. If I could have you here experiencing it all, I would. This month is probably my top 3 or maybe top 4 favorite months of the whole race. I kind of have alot of favorites, but I think it’s because God has alot of favorites, and I want to be like Him.
The End….for now at least!
