What an amazing journey this has been so far! I’ve completed 6 months of this 11-month adventure, and I have 5 more months to go. Such beautiful and growing moments have taken place. I cherish the growth and the memories, yet I still “press on to the things which lay ahead.”
Here, I’ll give an overview of the past three months of life and ministry on my World Race.
The recap of my first three months on the field can be found here.
Month 4 – December – MALAYSIA
I love this place. My team, Peculiar Treasures, served with team Fearless Unity in a small city in northern Malaysia. Many different people groups lived in this region, and seeing ethnic diversity while right in Southeast Asia was very refreshing.
Our ministry contact was fantastic. He and his wife (and children!) poured into us so much during the month. I was so blessed by their deep love for the Lord and for one another. Their obedience to even the very hard things Jesus called them to do proceeded from their deep affection for Him. I strive to walk like that.
Photo by Lauren Schraa
In this Islam dominant country, evangelism and spreading Jesus by word is illegal, but nothing can stop the love of Christ in action. Our ministry involved teaching at the kindergarten school our contacts started and assisted with character classes for youth in the community.
Photo by Vallory Moss
Photo by Kaylaynn McAdams
Since it was the Christmas season, we also went caroling to homes in their community and passed out gifts to patients in a children’s hospital in a neighboring town.
Photo via Lauren Schraa
Check out this video my teammate Carolyn made showing our Christmas!
Right after Christmas before we closed up ministry for the month, we were blessed with a time of relaxing as our two teams. We spent a couple of days on the island of Langkawi on the Pacific Ocean.
Malaysia was so good for my heart.
Team Change!
World Race leadership is currently structured with each squad having 2-3 squad leaders. These are men and women that have done the World Race for themselves, and desire to serve people that are walking in this journey with wisdom and guidance from their experience.
My original squad leaders, Zach and Hailey (Photo by Lauren Schraa)
These squad leaders stay on the field with the squad for the first 5 or so months of the Race and then 3-4 new squad leaders are chosen from within the squad to lead for the remaining months. Two of my teammates, Carolyn and Kaylaynn became 2 of the 4 new squad leaders! I was so blessed to walk with them as teammates for the first 4 months of my Race, and have already been blessed by their obedience to the Lord and willingness to go and do wherever and whatever He bids in the new season of their Race as leaders of our squad.
Because of the new squad leaders being raised up, shifts took place in the teams that comprise the squad.
My team went from Peculiar Treasures…
Photo by Vallory Moss
to Fight For Love!
Photo by Allison Laverty
My new team stretches me and encourages me in fantastic ways, and I consider it such a joy to continue my Race with these mighty women of God. From left to right: Libby Alcala, Stephanie Kettel (new teammate!), Lauren Schraa, Kaitlyn Forbes, myself, and LaShon Gordon (new teammate!).
Month 5 – January – JAPAN
The entire squad lived and ministered in and around the Japanese metropolis of Osaka during this month. A completely new country for the Race, our ministry contact, Jef, is a friend of our original squad leader Zach, who is remaining in Japan to do long term missions. I was deeply encouraged by something Jef said as he prepared our squad for that month. Simply, “When you’re showing the love of Christ, you can’t go wrong.”
Our ministry consisted of just that; intentionally showing the love of Christ – in word and deed. Sometimes, that looked like going on ‘treasure hunts’ and seeking the Lord for specific words and pictures that could lead us to a person we were to encounter. Other times it just looked like being more aware of how we could love, support, and pray for the people we encountered while going about our day.
This is the young woman the Lord led us to during the treasure hunt I blogged about. We were able to spend a lot of time with her throughout the month and show her how precious and valuable she is.
My team really connected with members of the church we stayed at, Be One Network, Shinsaibashi, and were so blessed by their hospitality and willingness to serve us in any way that they could. They really embodied the unity the body of Christ should operate in all around the world.
Photo Via Lauren Schraa
Other things I experienced in Japan included tea ceremony lessons,
and hiking to Minoo Park and Waterfall on my 23rd birthday!
Month 6 – February – ALBANIA
The sheer natural beauty of this nation astounded me. From the mountains in clear view from our hostel, to the coast of the Adriatic Sea in the town of Durres, I felt incredibly blessed to see the lovely views of a land I barely knew about before venturing to it.
This month, my team had the ministry of Unsung Heroes. Instead of partnering with one organization or ministry for the month, we sought out people, ministries and organizations that are currently furthering the Kingdom with their outreach, to see if partnership with World Race teams in the future would be a good fit for their needs.
We stayed in the capital city of Tirana for the duration of the month. Because of this, we were really able to connect and build relationships with people we encountered throughout the month. This included the owners and guests of the hostel we called home for the month and families that owned little restaurants we frequented.
As the month continued and by simply doing life in Tirana, opportunities arose to show the love of Christ to people in the Roma community.
Photo by Allison Laverty
These children spend so much of their time trying to beg and scrounge for food and money that they don’t PLAY! (I feel so blessed to have had such a carefree and cared-for childhood.)
Meeting with potential ministry contacts all throughout the region for the month showed me how connected the missions community and the body of Christ at large are in Tirana, Albania. The unity and the earnest desire for the believers we met to assist one another while furthering the Kingdom of God greatly inspired and sharpened me. I deeply desire to live in unity and in rich support of my brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of separations that man tries to make so important, like my brothers and sisters in Albania.
I am so humbled by all of your encouragement and support as you follow my journey. Know that this endeavor would have been impossible without YOU. Your prayers and financial generosity in partnering with me as I partner with the heart of the Lord make me truly rich. I am blessed to represent you as I spread the Kingdom of Christ around the world with every step.
By the grace of God, the journey continues.
In front of the Adriatic Sea! Photo by Allison Laverty
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” – C. S. Lewis
From my heart,
Erika Venese Wynne
