My squad is in Sri Lanka this month! We stayed together our first week and had our first debrief. Debrief is a time where our squad comes together to reflect on all that the Lord has done so far on the race. It’s a time for our coaches and mentor to come out and encourage us in our walk with the Lord. We talked about things like our identity in Christ and gifts of the Holy Spirit. At the end of our week we were assigned to new teams for the month! My new team is beautiful in every way! We are team Beloved! Our team was assigned to the city of Jaffna. While making our transportation plans to Jaffna, we felt that God wanted us to stop in Colombo to visit some workers we had met earlier in the week. (Side note: in case you’re wondering if God really speaks, half our team wanted to go to Colombo and half our team wanted to get to Jaffna. We prayed about it, and all of our answers turned into a Yes. Trust me, God speaks.) We thought this would be a time of encouraging this young family who are five months into their three year commitment. Turns out, we didn’t know a thing. This visit with them was a complete oasis for us! From the best lunch ever to The Greatest Showman movie and popcorn to a REAL shower with water pressure and fresh towels! We were also able to go visit some ladies they have been ministering to and it just happened to be one of their birthdays! She was encouraged by us because her husband was out of town and she wouldn’t be able to see him on her birthday. So our visit was a great testimony of God’s love for her!
Our ministry assignment for this month is Ask the Lord. This means that we don’t have a host or set schedule, just a city name. Before I left for the race, most people would ask what I’d be doing. My response a lot of times was “I don’t know yet!” So to all of you who asked me that question, here’s an example of how God works. We prayed about what city to go to. He told us Jaffna and created Team Beloved. We asked Him if we should visit the workers and delay arrival by one day. He said ‘Yes’ and gave us the most incredible rest. Through that family, we got the contact information for a pastor in Jaffna. We met with him and he found us a house to rent with a kitchen! (This allows us to cook our meals instead of going out for each one!) By meeting this pastor, we have been able to visit a church and preach and pray for the congregation. We also got to visit a Bible college and lead them in a morning devotional. This has all happened in just our first three days in Jaffna!
I am so excited about how God is moving this month. Thank you all for following this journey with me and the Lord!
No van is ever too small!
Our new friends (and the most energetic puppy!)
We had assigned seats and didn’t have to stand on the train!
Sunset over beautiful Sri Lanka.
Kristine and Ariel bringing the Word!
I am still fundraising toward my goal of $18,700. If you feel lead to give toward my journey, you can click the orange donate button at the top of this blog! Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
Fun fact: We saw a family of wild peacocks on the train ride to Jaffna! Unfortunately, I wasn’t videoing, but it was clearly a mom, dad, and three babies! 🙂
