Five countries, five months. Six countries, six months left. I am almost at the halfway mark. What has the Lord taught me? I was reflecting on this with a teammate this past month.
Month one: El Salvador
My first month in the race was weird and awkward. I was thrown into this “world race” culture and had no idea how to handle it. Having free time was a new thing for me since I am always on the go. God really taught me what it means to sit and rest in His presence and to enjoy being there. It is not a chore or a check mark, but incredibly refreshing.
Month two: Guatemala
All squad month. This month we encountered a lot of spiritual warfare. I learned what it feels like to be attacked and how to combat it. Throughout Guatemala and Honduras the power of prayer became evident. Sometimes it was against spiritual attacks, others for things like no rain. Also, I am not the extrovert I always thought I was. Never having a space to myself made me crave alone time.
Month three: Honduras
This month was by far my hardest month. I grew a lot on this month though. God taught me what grace is…grace for myself. Growing up my parents never had to put pressure on me because I put enough on myself. I never realized how burdensome and weary that is until I finally shed it. I remember feeling physically lighter. This month also taught me how to choose joy. Things were downright miserable most of the month, but making the decision not to be angry or sad about it was a literal choice.
Month four: Nicaragua
This was a month of recovery for me. Month three I was one of the main translators for my team and was just burnt out. My team was in a good place and had gotten into a groove with ministry. We functioned well as a team and new each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to support each other in them.
Month five: Panama
I officially entered the middle part of the race. Life was hard: missing family and my boyfriend, new teammates, sick and tired of the hot weather. We are a group of all independent people and had to fight to spend time with each other. I am learning the importance of community. Just today I was reflecting on isolationism and how the enemy so easily attacks me with that-I don’t connect with anyone, no one wants to hear about what I am going through, I’ll get feedback on it if I say something about this, etc. NOT TRUE. God calls us to community so that we can build each other up when one is down.
