It’s Wednesday, December 6 at 12:17pm
Sitting here all curled up in my sleeping bag watching the people as they walk by with all their luggage. The smell of coffee has filled the air, and the Christmas decorations shine bright. My squad mates are scattered. Some sleep, some explore, some read, some are actually sitting here befriending the stranger next to them and telling him about Jesus after they’ve been up all night.
Its travel day! And we are in the midst of a nearly twelve hour layover in Sweden on our way to Malawi, Africa.
The World Race is one big journey, but each month is a journey all of its own. The past two months we’ve been in Eastern Europe in Serbia and Romania. Living in these countries, learning their cultures, and befriending the people has brought on a new understanding for a variety of things. For me, personally, anyway.
As I’ve spent the past few days reflecting and processing on the things the Lord has taught me and shown me, my heart was filled with excitement. It hasn’t been the easiest of times, but there sure have been some pretty incredible memories made and lessons learned that I’m going to take the next few minutes to tell you about!
Intercessory prayer is vital! Intercession is defined as prayer for another or on behalf of another. In Ezekiel 22:30 the Lord says that He sought out a man who would stand in the gap to intercede on the city’s behalf, but He found none so the Lord poured out His indignation on them. A great example of someone actually interceding can be found in Psalm 106:23, “Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.” We had an hour of intercession each morning last month for our ministry, the country, the missionaries, the cities, the people, and their hearts. We witnessed many people accept Jesus as Lord through random encounters on the street, and I firmly believe that was because of the intercession we were doing before and after.
Meeting complete strangers and befriending them isn’t scary- it’s actually really cool. If they don’t want to talk then they don’t want to talk. If they want to talk, though, you’ll hear some pretty cool things and perhaps have a new friend in the world. And after a bit you can even tell ‘em about Jesus!
Evangelism is actually just a conversation. It’s also a gift from the Lord, and not everyone is or has to be good at it. That being said, it’s still worth it no matter who you are!
The Lord has shown me the importance of words. More specifically, how we use them. It seems to me that often times in America and in our friend groups we use words to say something, but what we’re saying and the word we’re using don’t actually match up. Y’all, I do this all the time! In other words, I downloaded a dictionary app and am slowing learning vocabulary. Ha. This is largely important, though, when trying to communicate with someone who’s first or even second language isn’t English. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Words have definitions- know them. (This also makes studying Scripture a whole different ball game).
Worship worship worship. It isn’t just singing, and you don’t have to have music. There are many many different ways to worship the Lord. This I knew, but these past two months, I learned just how much I needed worship to live. I desperately need to worship the Lord daily.
I have actually just begun a new journey diving deeper into the world of worship and praise. I will definitely be keeping you updated on this because it is uber exciting! Eeek!
This month the Lord began teaching me a lot. There is so much more to dive into in each of these topics, but that’s where the Lord has me and I’m uber excited about it! I cannot wait to continue sharing more with you, but for now, I’ve got a plane to Africa!
