Part of my process while being home is to look through the thousands of pictures that I took over the time of 11 months. I decided that I should share some of those favorites with you so that you can see a few things that the Lord did. Obviously, these are not all the things that He did because a lot of moments were too precious to interrupt with a camera.
India: We went to a new village every night where we went door to door to pray, sometimes with a translator and sometimes without. We would then do a church service with worship and some of the team sharing their testimony and the gospel. On one of our first nights a Hindu woman surrendered to the one, true God! These villages were as rural as you can imagine and the women would walk further than you can imagine to the well and then carry the bucket back home. They would do this for cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc. Read about India HERE
Nepal: This month we did a lot of different ministries. Street kids were everywhere and I loved playing with them and sharing the gospel every chance I got. But, the coolest thing we did was spend a week with these refugees from Pakistan. This was a family who was imprisoned for their faith in Pakistan and then fled to Nepal for safety. They left behind good jobs and big houses. They left behind the “American Dream”, if you will. They are now living under the radar in Nepal because they are not considered citizens and could be forced to leave there, as well. Through it all they are worshiping God and trusting Him with their lives. They survived persecution and then they survived the earthquake in Nepal. They are modern day Paul’s who are willing to risk their lives for this gospel.
Cambodia: While exploring Angkor Wat was cool, seeing people worship idols wasn’t. All around Asia we would see people worshiping idols, like this one. The bible says that those who worship idols will become like them. I think this picture speaks for itself. I’ve never felt a more urgency for the gospel as I did walking around this ancient temple.
Thailand: During the day, these streets looked completely normal. At night, they would be set up as a market that would draw people into the Red Light Districts where women would throw themselves at whoever walked by. Some of these women were there by choice and some were forced to be there. Some liked it and some were doing it because they had children to feed. I had the honor of going into a bar one night and sitting with a lady who is 24 and has three kids. I was able to share the gospel with her in hopes that some of it would translate to her. I heard her say that she hated dancing but that she only did it because she had children to care for. She wants to work in the clothing industry one day. I will never forget her face. I will never forget her hunger for a God that sees her and knows her and cares for her, unlike the men that she dances for. Read about my walk through a Red Light District HERE
Malaysia: This month we lived in a girl’s home. I am unable to post any pictures of their faces due to confidentiality. We were able to be a little bit of fun for these kiddos. They don’t have the opportunity to get out of the house very often because there isn’t a lot of help. On this day, we were able to take them to a huge park with a huge playground. We also shared bible stories with them and just enjoyed their company for the month. Read about a lesson from Malaysia HERE
Botswana: There aren’t enough words for this month. Every single day we went and walked through the village and shared the gospel with people, some who had never heard it before. We were able to pray with them and give them bibles in their language. In the afternoons we did kids ministry where we played games and then our contact shared a bible story. I enjoyed sharing the gospel but the heart I have beats for kids to know that they are loved by the God that created them. Everyday, I let my inner kid free and played like a fool with them.
South Africa: The physical beauty of this country was everything. I saw the Lord every single day in the beach or the sky or the loudest birds in all of the land. This month we were on our own to search for new contacts for AIM. We met one lady who is absolutely changing Durban through her organization and I walked away wanting to change the world, too.
Swaziland: My favorite moment of this month was having the opportunity to take pictures of each of the kids at the care point and then having them printed off. I realized this month that kids don’t usually get to see themselves. They don’t know what they look like. They don’t know who they are. This was pivotal as I was also walking through learning who I am in Christ. The moment the teacher showed the class picture and pointed each student out I was brought to tears as their smiles lit up. I will never forget it. Ever.
Dominican Republic: This month we did a lot of construction but the last week that we were there we were able to go out and share the gospel. This little lady in green had special needs and lived right up the road. Every time we walked up to the small store she would wave as we walked past. We were able to share the gospel with her and the moment her spirit picked up on what her mind couldn’t I saw tears roll down her cheek. This Jesus thing, it’s not a mind thing, it’s a spirit and soul thing.
Haiti: I can’t actually put into words how much I love the boys in this home. We lived with a pastor and a whole lot of people. Every night we would hang out with all the boys and chat so that they could practice English or talk about God or just watch as they played instruments. This particular night, the power was out, per usual, and the boys were playing a guitar and ukulele while singing and beating on the tables. This went on for hours and it happened often. Who needs video games or TV? Not these guys. This is one of my favorite moments from the race.
Jamaica: Every day the team went out to share the gospel door to door. This was one of our main drop off points. There would always be a group of guys hanging out by the building and we became friends with them. We would sit and talk while they smoked a joint and drank a beer. We went and watched a soccer tournament that they put on and were told that they had never seen Christians hangout there before. These guys became like our big brothers throughout the month and we would be so excited to see them. What a beautiful thing to be where we know Jesus would have been.
My race changed my life. I learned to find God in every single moment of every single day, whether it was battling flying cockroaches in Thailand or sharing the Gospel through broken English. He did so many incredible things throughout the months and I pray that I never, ever forget them. It’s because of you that this past year was possible and I pray that you would consider helping me get back out on the field with some 18-22 year olds as they go to the least of these for 9 months!
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