This was one of my favorite ministry projects as a team because we physically left a mark in a city. It is interesting because many times this month I have pinpointed bookends of my journey. One of the bookends specific to Z house is my mural project. In Guatemala, I painted my first mural, the world map, in our contact’s basement. This month, I designed and painted a mural for the Z house. It was a joy to use my creativity again on the race. In a bizarre way, my month in Guatemala was prophetic over the entire race. There were many things that the team experienced month 1 that occured many times throughout the race. I don’t believe that is by accident. This a testimony of how the LORD prepared my team and me for future situations that we would encounter along the way. Through my race journey, I see His astounding sovereignty and His beautiful grace. The race was not easy. I’ve tried to convey the nuggets of wisdom along the way because I believe that even in the most difficult moments of this year, the LORD was still working in my heart and preparing me for the next steps. It was all part of the process, and HE was always with me. In this season- my World Race chapter coming soon to a close, I am continuing to proclaim these truths over my life: The LORD is always with me. HE will never leave me nor forsake me wherever I am in the world. This morning during worship, the LORD spoke two words to me when I was praying about next steps: Trust and follow me.
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[After long flights from Tanzania, we finally arrived to South Asia! We were greeted with roses by SFI staff members at the airport.]
This month we partnered with SFI, a non-profit organization based out of South Korea. SFI has a number of different projects under their umbrella such as nutrition baskets for families diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, children’s homes, medical camps, mircofinancing projects for CSWs (commericial sex workers- AKA prostitutes) and widows. During our stay, Team Pneuma was entrusted with helping launch a new project, Zephaniah House (AKA “Z house”). Zephaniah house is located in the heart of the red light district and will be used for job training, counseling, and tutoring for CSWs and their children. Most weekdays we, “the work crew,” (SFI staff members and Pneuma) traveled in an ambulance through the congested streets. Dodging cows, rickshaws (local transport), motos, and passerbys was the name of our game. The precarious route to the Z house is not the unique aspect of this story; Pneuma, a group of foreigners from the US, was the wild card. We were the first foreign team to enter this district. SFI leadership presented the Z house project to us within our first week. They had received Z house, and it was in desperate need of renovation. The team and staff prayed about the Z house project and decided to proceed with the renovations and opening of Z house this month.
[Team working on renovations at Z house. Photo credit: Sutesh]
[Mural in Guatemala]
[Mural in South Asia. Photo credit: Krystle Wilcox]
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
[Team photo on Independence Day. Photo credit: Sutesh]
