Well, I haven’t blogged all month. Every time I try to sit down and do it, I cannot seem to formulate words, let alone sentences, paragraphs and pages about my feelings.
I don’t know how I feel. I’m super excited to see my family and friends, but it almost doesn’t seem like that long ago that I left for this massive 11 month trip.
It seemed so long in the beginning and now that it’s over, it seems so short. Well I know that things are different, but how I’m not sure yet. I know I still have training wheels on when it comes to my faith and intimacy with God, but I’m excited to know that there is so far to go. From training wheels to a 10 speed to no hands to speed biking to tricks. There is so much to come and I’ve come a long way since my little roller racer instead of a bike.
So I’ll tell you a little bit about the month and (as it usually does) hopefully it will lead into how I’m actually doing,
We started the month working with a man named Joe/Roman- He goes by several names. He’s lost. He thinks he has Jesus but in reality he’s a lost sheep that God is going after through groups and our contact Benjamin. We hiked up to his farm every day, up a mountain and across a waterfall to weed, hoe, plant trees and to have fellowship time with him. He made amazing lavender mint tea.
He got most of his information on the bible from a short wave radio that spits out parts of versus to manipulate the mind, and it’s full of different conspiracy theories, and theories of the end time coming.
My biblical knowledge was challenged this month by ‘Joman’ and by our contact that enjoyed doing several hour bible studies per night, testing us on our knowledge and our heart for God. He’s gifted in knowledge about demonology and curses-among many other gifts.
I often feel overwhelmed with what God wants from us and I’m still trying to find my true identity in Him. That’s why the training wheels are still on, even though I try and take them off, I constantly fall down, but luckily the Lord picks me right back up and has abounding grace for me to continue trying. He’s so good to me.
We did some side ministry of visiting the hospital one day, doing a youth project one day, visiting witch’s caves and other ‘fake worship’ places. And we visited villages around Panajatchel. We were very blessed to have very little rain and no erupting volcanoes as Pana has several mudslides a year and is surrounded by active volcanoes- people lose their houses, children, and lives yearly.
Benjamin had several stories about villages being swallowed up or destroyed each year.
So… everyday we would walk home from ministry and I would see this little clothing store, Ashley and I decided to go in one day. The Lord blessed my Spanish AGAIN, and I was able to have a long chat with the Zulma about her life and her testimony through Christ.
She previously practiced witch craft, worshiped idols, and was heavily involved in drugs. She had a distant and poor relationship with her daughter and was dating a man who was also not a Christian and was abusive toward her.
Now, she is a joyful woman of God, who is healed of her past and brought into the light. She wrote down her prayers for me to continue, prayers for her to become a missionary one day and preach the gospel and for her to have a husband that wants the same things. She explained how the Lord transformed her life through the work of the Holy Spirit. She now had an amazing testimony and plans on using that to glorify our God.
So my selfish desires of buying anything new to wear led to an amazing encounter with Zulma, and it gets better. We clearly wanted to say goodbye before we left so we set out to see her on Friday, our last ministry day-when we didn’t have anything planned. When we got there, we prayed for her and then a woman came up to us to tell us that her mother was really sick and if we would go to her home and pray. (HECK YES) So we go to her home and spend the next, I’m not sure how long, praying and singing over her.
She had several demonic influences, walls and strongholds that were inhibiting her from joy. She was told not to get out of bed for six months and that she needed to go to a private hospital which they could not afford. So we left some bandages (she had a really bad injection site from a blood thinner) ointment, money and some chocolate.
Isabel was her name and her daughter was Miracle (in Spanish). Miracle was sixteen and taking care of her mother and grandfather. She said she was praying for a sign that God was listening to her- we were that sign for her. THANK YOU JESUS!
So we left, but Lili forgot her bag and we had to go back. When we returned, she was out of her bed, smiling while munching on her M&M’s. God is so good! And this episode was redeeming for us, as our month was full of challenge and a bit of judgment.
It also was a great reminder that we don’t always have to look for ministry opportunities and we don’t always have to pray about where to go. It’s about the day to day, the times when we are doing ‘our normal life’ stuff and God presents us with an opportunity to do something for Him, something better. This is our calling; this is all of our gifting. To listen, respond, obey, fear and serve Our God in all situations!
Who cares about your schedule, who cares about what you were supposed to do that day. There is only one thing that matters, one thing that counts and that’s bringing His Kingdom to this Earth. It’s about our relationship with our Father.
A summary: Our team united even more, we had great family nights, lots of laughter and an ability to fight for each other. The month ended well and we are all now transitioning into the next season with each other. We have a forever family and we have more of God. Now is debrief… our last official time together as O squad on the field.
What a testimony it is to have done this and seen the miracles and wonders of the Lord. And to notice and thank the Lord for what He has done for me. Freedom, freedom, freedom! Thank you Jesus.
Mark 16: 17-20: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands ; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on the sick people and they will get well.”
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