I would like to start off by apologizing. I know I haven’t written a blog in months. The reason for that is that every time I try to think about what to write, I feel like I have nothing to say. I keep thinking that if I write something, it has to be mind-blowing and amazing. I’ve come to realize that this blog is meant to keep you all updated on what I’m doing. It doesn’t have to change someone’s life when they read it, but God can make that happen if that’s what He wants to do with it. From now on, I just want to tell you all what is going on here in my life. This is going to be real, and sometimes ugly! J Not every day on the race is a good one. Some days I really struggle and some days I thrive, but every day I try to pursue Jesus through that, and because of that, every day is important!
Now that we have that out of the way, I want to do a brief overview of the countries that I have been to so far. I know you have videos, but those don’t always tell the whole story, so here they are!
Mokhotlong, Lesotho: I loved Lesotho so much. It was an amazing first country for me! Our hosts, Oliver and Tebo, Pastor Obed and Matsolo, and Pastor Tsepo and his wife were all so amazing. I felt so loved and cared for there. As you saw in our videos, we did so many different things there for ministry. The ministry was enjoyable because of the people we were doing it with. We did so many things and it was crazy, but I really enjoyed it. There were three teams together along with a squad leader, so there were 22 of us there total. Amazing things happened there, check out my past blogs for more info!
Nsoko, Swaziland: This was all squad month, so all 60 of my squad mates, squad leaders, and squad mentor were there. We all worked in different areas while we were there. My team worked with a man named Leo and his wife and son. He is from Holland and he has an organization in Swaziland that reaches out to the people about how God intended sex to look like. We also did soccer camps on Saturdays for the kids at the different care points. That month was a challenge for me. Having 59 other people around me all of the time was difficult. There was never anywhere to be alone. The Lord definitely grew me a lot that month, so that is really cool to look back on and see.
Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa: I loved J-Bay! We worked at a school called Ithemba, and I fell in love with the kids and teachers there. They were so loving and caring and we were so blessed to be there. We helped in classes and helped plan and run a huge Christmas event for all of the kids at the school and in the aftercare program we worked with as well.
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: Vietnam was a difficult month for me. It is a closed country, so you are not allowed to share the Gospel. We worked in a school teaching a bunch of different subjects. I had 14 different classes that I was teaching, so that was definitely a challenge. We lived with the kids at the school for most of the month but we weren’t allowed to share the Gospel with them. One thing I loved was getting to spend time with our translator and friend, Gia. She was a new Christian, and she was so sweet. She made sure we always got food and knew where we were going. We had Thanksgiving while we were there. Another team came to eat with us as well and Gia was there with us too. It was a fun time to spend with everyone, but I did miss my dad’s home cooking!
Kampong Cham, Cambodia: This was my first month with my new team! I had such an amazing time with them! They are some of the most encouraging people I know, and I am so thankful for them! We did a few different things this month; we taught English, did prayer walking, went to remote villages on an island to share the Gospel, worshiped the Lord in Buddhist temples, and worked with children in the slum area. It was an amazing and eye opening month for me. I fell in love with the kids at “42 Houses”, our ministry in the slums. I had never seen anything like that, and it broke my heart. We were in Cambodia for Christmas and we got to share the Gospel with the kids and families at 42 Houses and with the kids in our English classes. Our hosts there were amazing and they love the Lord so much. We did a Bible study together every morning after breakfast before we started ministry and that helped me a lot. Overall, it was a great month!
Bangkok, Thailand: This month was a great one as well, but it was also hard because I wasn’t with my whole team. All of the guys were together for “manistry month” this month so we were missing our boys. Another co-ed team’s girls joined us for the moth. This month worked in a school called “A-Mane” that teaches English. It is an after-school program for students in the area. Our ministry hosts, Golf and Benz, are an amazing couple with four adorable children. They both grew up in Buddhist families, but they both found the Lord! One of the girls who works at the school is a former World Racer, and it was really cool to have her there with us. She was able to show us around and had a unique perspective on what we were going through and how we were feeling. While we were there, we also did Sunday school for anyone who wanted to come from the school. They are wanting to start a consistent Sunday school program, so we were able to help them start that up and give them ideas for it. They were so amazing and I had so much fun spending time with the teachers at the school and Golf and Benz and their family. It was a great month!
Well, that’s all for now. Look out for my next blog about Nicaragua! Love you guys!
