I did not expect to be writing this blog so soon! I am in the middle of my 5th month and I am in Sungai Patani, Malaysia. I have seen the Lord show up in some amazing ways since leaving Hickman, Ky. God has been with me every step of the way… even those nights I sat in my tent missing home. I am completely speechless and so filled with love and appreciation. I remember sitting on the couch of my favorite place in the world, Steph’s house, reading blogs other racers wrote about being fully funded. I couldn’t wait to write that blog, but here I am writing it. Fundraising was the part of this trip I was most scared about. The part I thought would weigh on me everyday. I also knew it would be the part I saw God do the most work in. I have had people come along side of me and believe in me. People I have only met once and some I have known forever. God has used every person who donated but most importantly prayed for me, as instruments in this trip. I was privileged enough to see first hand the people in these countries but each person that has partnered with me has been here as well.
My fundraising stories I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I had 7 churches that I am not a member of allow me to stand up and speak to them and share why I choose to go on this trip, donate to me. I had a sweet little boy from my church empty his piggy bank and give it all to me, I’ve had people take jewelry right off their hand and give to me. I had a wonderful lady I have known for most of my life become a monthly donor to me, and I had people who are so dear to me and my heart still fight hard for me at home and fund raise by selling shirts and help with a yard sale. There are so many more stories but these are a few examples of the generosity that was poured out over me.
I wanted to first say THANK YOU so much for allowing God to use YOU in this trip. All of you represents what the body is called to look like, you loved me, prayed for me, and partnered with me to further the Kingdom. Through this journey I have gained family all over the world but I have also gained a huge family back in the states as well. I want to give you a recap from the past 5 months and tell you a little about what your money and prayers have gone towards.
MONTH 1:
I was in Muizenburg, South Africa. My team and I worked with New Chapter Foundation in the Pnumlani township. We spent our days helping at the preschool there, feeding them, and holding a Bible school class each day. The children from this township are basically street kids, they go hungry most days, and they live in one room shacks with their entire family. These kids wore the same outfits everyday and always had dirty, snotty noses, I fell in love with everyone of them. Malcolm our contact has the vision to better this community, He wants to go in and teach them trades and help them get out of the down hill spiral they are in,. He is on the pastoral committee at Hillsong South Africa and has a passion for Pnumlani. He wants to see God transform all of their lives. We spent our last week in South Africa working with Camp Joy, a rehab center for prostitutes, heroin addicts, and gangsters. This week was an awesome week, we went in and held devotions with them, built relationships, and loved them like Christ loves us. We were there to show them that sometimes God allows us to hit rock bottom so we can build a solid foundation in Him.
MONTH 2:
I was in Mbabane, Swaziland with my entire squad at El Shaddai Orphanage. This is the country I have left part of my heart. We were each partnered with a child for the entire month, we helped them with their school studies, played with them, loved them, and just built relationships with them. We spent our mornings while they were in school, doing manual labor around the orphanage. We painted, dug holes, cleaned, took care of the yard work and the pigs. We spent the afternoons with our partnered child, my child was a 9 year old girl with a smile that could make anyones day better. Her name was Nomphilo which means Life, so I called her Life. She had the sweetest spirit, she loved to sing and always wanted to be hugged. She was shy but was so fun. She changed my heart in ways I can never explain. Not a day goes by that I don’ think of her. At 5 everyday we held a chapel for them and taught them songs and Bible stories. We ended our nights with a family squad dinner. El Shaddai is one of the most amazing places I have ever been it was at the top of a mountain that overlooked all of Mbabane. I plan on going back one day. **Also, every kid there is still in need of sponsors, the website is www.elshaddaiswazi.org. These kids are so worth every sponsor they could get.
MONTH 3:
This was a month of growth for my team and I. We were in Maputo, Mozambique in a small village. We partnered with Church of Praise church. We spent every morning doing home visits and praying over people. We would then lead prayer services at the church and pray over the sick and finish our nights preaching at the big services. This is the month God gave me the words to preach my first sermon. God showed up in the craziest ways this month, we were all challenged in hard ways but He was ALWAYS there. We pushed each other into walking into boldness, we encouraged each other to lead sermons, and we talked to God so much. One morning we were praying healing over 4 women who were having eye problems (which is extremely common in this village) God told our squad leader to take these women outside and have them kneel down and rub the dirt from the earth on their eyes as we pray healing over them. It was something we were so confused why we were doing it but it was the most beautiful time. All of us and all 4 of them were in tears as we prayed. His presence was so consuming during this time of prayer it was amazing. We had a lot of moments like that during our time in Mozambique. This was also the month I found I had stage one malaria, after a week of 22 pills a day, 10 pounds lost, and lots of prayer I was healed from it. Its definitely a story I will always have. Mozambique was a great country to end our time in Africa.
MONTH 4:
San Mateo, Phillipines is where we were last month, our first country in Asia. Filipino people are beautiful inside and out. The minute I stepped off the plane I fell in love with this country and people group. My team and one other team worked with New Beginnings Camp. Its at the top of a mountain in San Mateo (mountains seem to be a theme for my team) We lived in the camp with a Filipino family and a Chinese couple who are missionaries in that area. We spent the month fixing the camp site up so that soon it would be a functional camp for kids and have a constant flow of camps coming in. This area is BEAUTIFUL. An american couple from IL are the owners and trying to make it into the camp site. During our time there we held a VBS for street kids on Christmas Eve, we held a weekend youth camp, and helped a Canadian church do a medical and dental clinic for 1500 people. This camp is right in the middle of the dump community where people dumpster dive for their living. An american based organization, The Trash Mountain Project does a lot of work in this area so we were able to meet them. Everyday during our break time we would play outside with the local street kids and walk to the local markets to say hello to people. We became Ate (Ah-tay) which means big sister to a lot of street kids during our time there. This is another country I left a huge chunk of my heart in. Rhayan the Filipino man we worked with, said to me the day we were leaving, “See you in a year when you come back.” So, we will see what God has in store for that. **Fun fact, we were right on the mountain with the Guiness Book of World Records Largest Ten Commandments. It was so beautiful especially when the sun set over it. Also, I have a list of camp things I want to collect and have sent to them if you would like to help with that PLEASE contact me.
MONTH 5:
I am currently in Sungai Patani, Malaysia. This is my first closed country on this race. We aren’t allowed to call ourselves missionaries, talk about Jesus in public, pray in public, or wear crosses. Which for me as a talker who never meets a stranger has been a challenge. When I talk to people in public I have to really monitor what I talk about so I don’t get myself into a hard situation. We are living in an Indian community which is awesome, we eat a LOT of curry and spicy food and wear a lot of beautiful materials as dresses. We are working with a local Church and a local home for the mentally ill. We preach sermons, sing and dance for the church and we work with mentally ill kids and adults at the home. It is 2 really awesome ministries that we are partnered with. We eat dinner late because that is the custom here and church begins at 8pm and usually ends around 10pm with a 2 hour band practice after. We are in an all Muslim country so the Christian community we are working with this month is so inspiring. Most of them are converted Hindus and heard in private about Jesus and their lives were changed. I have been in awe since being here at how these people reveal Jesus so much without even saying a word about Him. It has definitely been something for me to learn from and challenge myself to be more like. Live out Christ by my actions and not just my words.
COMING SOON:
Month 6- Vietnam
Month 7- Cambodia
Month 8- Thailand
Month 9- Dominican Republic
Month 10- Haiti
Month 11- Puerto Rico
This has been my time in the nations thus far. I have seen God move in me and around me. He has healed things in me that I didn’t even realize were wounded. He has taught me hard lessons and He has revealed Himself to me in people and places I never thought I would see or meet. It is the most amazing feeling to be wrapped completely in His plan. Every day I have to lean on Him to get me through. When I am hungry because we have only had bread, cucumbers, and tomatoes that day. The days I am so tired its hard for me to focus because we got to bed at midnight and had to be up 6 am. He feeds my hunger, He gives me rest, and He is my comfort when I am homesick and miss my family at home. I am so thankful for these things that He has taught me.
Some lessons I have learned on this trip: DONT ask what the food is that you are eating, just eat it…ignorance is bliss in this instance. Your mission field is any where that God has placed you… an internet cafe on the beach, a bus station, a line at the grocery store, even Hickman, KY. Lastly, He truly is all we need… he will feed you when you are hungry, give you rest when you are tired,, comfort you when you are lonely, give you boldness when you are scared, and provide for you when you have nothing else.
Thank you so much for being with me on this journey. I am so grateful for every person who believed in the calling God placed on my life and joined the changed He wanted to make. You truly are serving the nations all the way from United States.
I love you all so very much. My support account is fully funded because of you. God is not done though. There is so much work to still be done. God placed me at every ministry this year for a reason and I know we can make a difference in those places too. I want to partner with all my contacts and help them to keep growing even after I am gone from there. If you would like to help with any of the places I have already been and the ministries I still have to visit in the next 7 months. Please send me an email and I can let you know ways to do that.
Love, Love, Love…
JB
