April 18, 2014
Total Cost: $16,250
I stared at the screen of my computer at that number.
Are you kidding me? I need to raise THAT much money?
July 3, 2015
About a year later, here I am staring at a new number: $16,258.
God has a sense of humor I guess. My Adventure account is fully funded and well-before my final deadline. Once again I find myself asking, “Are you kidding me?”
But God wasn’t kidding when He told me He wanted me to go proclaim his gospel to the nations and share the Father’s heart with the broken, battered, and abused.
I thank my God for this extremely huge blessing of being used for His Kingdom in this way. I also want to thank all of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ and supporters, who made this all possible because of your generosity, love and obedience in giving to God’s work through my ministry overseas.
These are just a few ways your support has changed people’s lives abroad:
India
These are teens in Churchanpur region of India. My team and I held a VBS where we talked about God as Creator. I walked through a project with these kids about how God created the garden and then the fall happened. I shared the beautiful story of redemption and hope that Jesus offers and as a group we prayed to give our lives or rededicate ourselves to Christ.
Nepal
This is a girl that the Lord led us to in the slums of Nepal. Earlier in the day myself and two of my squadmates had a faith day and asked the Lord to lead us where He wanted us. We ended up meeting Kassim, this girls brother, who invited us to his home in the slums for lunch. There the Lord gave us an opportunity to love his family and share the gospel. We also prayed over Kassim’s mother who had no hearing in her left ear. God miraculously healed her, and we left a family that serves 1,000’s of god’s with evidence that the only true one is Christ. We later connected this family to our ministry host that will help them build skills for work and share the gospel.
This young girl holds a very dear place in my heart. Jesus led me to my new friend and sister. We went out to coffee with her and her daughter, and there she opened up about her past and shame attached to it. I was able to share my testimony with her, as well as my teammate Ashleigh, and this girl was forever changed as shame and guilt was cast off and the new life in Christ came over her and a new hope was found.
If you are reading this sister, I miss you very much and lift you up in my prayers daily! I hope we can one time talk on the phone soon. You are not forgotten by me!
South Africa
During our time in South Africa, my team and I searched for local ministries that were Unsung Heroes. The first picture above is of Entembeni, a ministry about two hours outside of Durban South Africa where they are reaching a village with the gospel through the locals. The second picture is one of a Valley that TransWorld Radio overlooks. Transworld Radio reaches into the native Zulu people in the area of a Valley of 1000 Hills to share the gospel and disciple the people in the Valley below. Both of these ministries are in need of extra help. We submitted them to Adventures in hopes of creating a partnership so that Adventures can send more missionaries to their aide.
Swaziland
This is my sweet 13-year old sister in Christ Gift. During our time in Swaziland, Gift and I spent a lot of time together at the El Shaddai Orphanage. It was an honor to get to spend time with such a wise, kind and joyful daughter of God and pour out His love to her and also receive it in return.
I Love you Gifty!
Mozambique
This woman was a widow in the village of Mafambisse where my second team and I lived. Rosa was unable to walk and slept on the ground, and laid out in the sun all day. My team and I visited her regularly to pray over her and rub her legs and hips to help with her pain, swelling and immobility. The Lord led me to buy Rosa a mattress that I had the local boys we worked with give to her. I received an update in June from those boys, who said they had continued to visit Rosa nearly every day and pray for her. Then they gave me the exciting news that Rosa started to walk again! Praise God!
During our time in Mozambique, our team led an Ephesians bible study with the older boys at the orphanage we stayed at. Even with the language barrier, the Lord used this study as a time to disciple and teach these young men to hunger for the Lord and for truth and to further equip them to move out into their community to make an impact for the gospel.
Latvia
During the month of June, Dunamis worked at a Christian Rehabilitation Center where we met people who’s lives shined that of our Father’s redemption and love. We also were able to bring truth to people with the gospel that they are loved and no matter how far gone they feel like they have gone, it is never to far to turn to Christ. We saw people’s hard exteriors melt before our eyes as the gospel began to do a work in their hearts there.
We also were able to come alongside our Brazilian brothers and sisters and share the gospel with people from all over the world including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka.
Team Dunamis Women
The Lord has not only been reaching and changing the nations during this time abroad, but He’s also changing and growing our entire sQuad. These women in particular have been a community that desires growth. I’ve seen radical change and growth in their lives and relationships with Christ. I’ve seen the impurities fall off, lies be broken, truth in their identity in Christ established, and a boldness for the gospel increase. They are laborors not only doing work, but being prepared for even greater things.
Me
The World Race has been an incredible experience for me. I have been challenged to grow in my relationship with the lover of my soul. I have learned to be even more surrendered and dependent on Him for everything.
I’ve learned how to shuck corn (can’t wait to put that on my resume), sandpaper rust off bars, cook for over 50 people, love when it’s hard, let go of control, take a bucket shower, communicate with people that dont speak english, worship in so many ways, and how to garden.
I’ve learned that I don’t need comforts to keep my joy, all I need to do is keep my eyes set on the Keeper of my life and the hope He has set before me because of His great love. I’ve learned how to preach, minister to different types of people, share the gospel in so many ways, and come alongside different people of different cultures and backgrounds and show God’s love. I’ve been humbled more times than I can count. I’ve learned how to lead out of a place of need for Him rather than out of my own strength. I’ve learned how to communicate, problem solve, speak truth in love and give grace. I’ve learned to persevere in relationships that are hard only to see the Lord bless me with sweet friends.
The Lord has used this season to equip me to share His love for the rest of my life. I can’t thank you enough for not only bringing the gospel to the Nations through me, but giving me the opportunity to grow with the Lord this season as well.
I am now in Estonia for month seven working with a local church, and I still have four more countries to go until I return home (Laos a closed country, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam a closed country as well).
Even though my Adventures account is fully funded, I still have Race expenses to cover. I am now raising funds for pre-race expenses, extra ministry expenses for my last five months, and then expenses for my transition home.
If you would like to continue to partner with me, or begin to partner with me, through this season, there is still a way for you to give. Please make and support donation to my PayPal account by using my email address: [email protected]
Please join me in a prayer of thanksgiving for all the Lord has done and will continue to do in the lives of those around the world and for His provision in order to keep me abroad to share His great love with the nations.
