Hey Friends!!
This week, our Squad is headed to GUATEMALA! We have a long couple days of travel coming up and have some pretty long layovers. Our second layover is going to be in – wait for it – Californ-I-A on the 28th Pacific Coast Time… We land Thursday around 10:00am and have the day to explore, go to the post office, eat good ol’ Chipotle and/or get some important shopping done if we need to make that happen (I’m planning to only hit up the Post Office and Chipotle, so don’t worry!). We will then fly overnight to Guatemala and land there in the wee-hours of the morning. #TeamNoSleep (Just Kidding!) #IWillSurvive With that being said, if you would like to chat, seriously message me or email me and I will make time to call you within the 12 hours I have cellular coverage. I plan to be available from 3:00PM and on while in LA.
My Team is getting a bit of a switch up. Due to some Squad mates going home, one of my team mates, Logan, is headed over to a new team to lead (SUPER pumped for her. She’s gonna do amazing in this new season on her Race!). We will still be with her in Guatemala, though, as two teams will be ministering together at our ministry site in Antigua. It’s called New Generation, a ministry that exists to share the word of God with the youth in Guatemala by doing soccer tournaments, teaching, and putting on a plethora of fundraising activities for youth missionaries there. I am sure the Lord has His hand in this and it will be for His glory at the end of the day.
Guatemala is a funky month because our Squad has PVT (Parent Vision Trip) for Squad Parents to come out and be on the field, experiencing a brief glimpse of life on the Race with their son/daughter. During that week (sometime within the last week of May), a handful of me and my Squad mates will be headed to — wait for it — the coast of EL SALVADOR — for ATL week while the rest of the Squad sees their parents in Guatemala. ATL is “Ask the Lord.” We have really awesome logistics people who will be figuring out lodging for the week or so… But otherwise? Our Ministry is Life. Whatever the Lord asks us to do is what we do, no set goals or boundaries, the sky is the limit. It’s gonna be AWESOME. The rest of the Squad will join us there for a couple days of Leadership Development to end Month 9.
Month 10, we are heading back to the place I’ve been before, but am eager to return and do life in for a month — HONDURAS!! :] I will have my Month 9-first-portion-of-the-month-Team back, too. Still not sure what Ministry is gonna look like, but HONDURAS, guys, HONDURAS. #ICantWait
Month 11 is NICARAGUA… As usual, not sure what we will be doing for Ministry. But this will be a short month because Final Debrief is a large portion of it, as Leadership wants to usher us back to life in the states gracefully and kindly and give us ample time for a little rest and rejuvenation as a Squad before we part ways. #IWillCryRiversOfTears
Phew, that was a lot of information. Are you still with me??!
So… Praying BIG and BOLD Prayers works wonders. I haven’t been on that life as much as I should have been all year out of fear that the Lord may not provide, so we’re gonna get crafty and start now so God can do His thing and show up in whatever way He sees fit in the next few months. #BetterLateThanNever I want to include you guys in on what I’m praying for and also ask that if you have anything you’d like me to be in prayer for you about this next quarter of a year, please write it in the comments section on my blog or write me in an email! I have really high hopes for God showing up in huge ways on both ends of the spectrum, on the Race and at home while I am still away. I will keep you updated at the end of each of my blogs about how these prayers are coming and if there is anything new that arises as we are going!
My first prayer request is for health to be good for our entire Squad. My personal Race has been, actually, really good in the realm of health and I haven’t gotten exponentially sick. But if prayers for good health could continue for everyone on our Squad, that would be awesome, as some have been hit harder with sickness than others.
Please be praying for a miracle. I want to be witness to a real miraculous healing done in Central America in a woman or man. Please pray direction, sensitivity to the spirit, and an open heart to wherever He may lead in the next few months and for doubt or any hint of faithlessness to be completely banished from my heart and mind.
Directional prayer on my behalf, as the Race is soon ending, would also be awesome. I currently have laid all my desires down at the cross to remain present for the remainder of the Race (and believe me, it’s a daily choice to do it). As I’ve mentioned a few times, I am still very unsure about what is next because there’s no clear billboard in lights telling me “THIS IS FOR YOU,” but I know the Lord has something that can only fit in the realm of what He knows I need.
Finally: I have been praying about a guitar since Africa. #ThereAreNoSmallRequests I forgot about this prayer when I arrived in Asia, though, and it has recently been something that keeps coming to mind as I pray and spend time in worship with Him. As I head to Central America, I am going to be praying for a guitar that I can play and learn music on wherever we are because music is a need I have that He has brought to my attention and learning guitar is a childhood dream of mine that the Lord really wants me to work on with Him. Please be in prayer about that with me!
In all the specifics, please be praying for His will and timing. It’s easy for me to want my own timing to work and become impatient with Him. The Lord has been wanting me to rest and wait on Him recently. Please pray patience over my spirit and willingness to trust Him and still remain faithful even when no answers are provided.
This is as much a story with me as it is about you guys, too, though. So if you have prayer requests, please email them to me or leave a comment in the comments section of this blog. I would love to hear from you and see / hear about how the Lord is providing for you and about what you need from Him. This next season in Central America is going to be all about being brave and bold even when I don’t always feel it; I am depending on Him to provide for every need, even the unwritten ones! This is the first step – I would love for you to join me!
All my Love,
~A
X
