I’ve been in a constant state of awe.
I’ve been overwhelmed with so much joy and amazement at who The Lord is that I hardly know what to do with the emotions that I’ve been given. Things are happening around me that I know are only possible because of God and I wish perspectives and experiences were something that could be shared, because if I could share the fullness of the testimony of what The Lord has done and is doing in my life- there would be no doubt in anyone’s minds that He is real and that He is good. Time and time again, He has walked with me through the fire, has created earthquakes so strong that they open prison doors, and spoken through the rocks and the gentle winds. He has shown up and blown my mind over and over again, and He will continue to do so for the rest of my life because that’s just who He is.
And over and over again.. He is Faithful.
After I got accepted to squad-lead last Friday, AIM took the time to pray over what squad I would be joining so until 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon, I had no idea what countries I would be spending the next 9 months in. Then, I opened an e-mail that told me what Squad I would be joining.. and let me tell you, what you’re about to read is INSANE.
Before I just tell you what route I’ll be joining.. I have testimonies for each of the three countries that The Lord has called me to this year.. You’re going to want to stay for this one.
Months 1-3: Costa Rica
WOW, JESUS. This!! If you know me well, you’d know that Costa Rica is one place that I haven’t quite yet been able to shake from my heart.
It started off when I went on my first Passport (WR Semesters) trip through Adventures in Missions to Costa Rica for three months in January 2017. That trip, though short, had a huge impact on my life. I grew so much in my relationship with The Lord and in my understanding as His Daughter. I was healed from situations that I never thought I’d see the way out of and I experienced community in ways that I never had before. I grew in boldness in sharing The Gospel and I learned that I could hear God’s voice- a huge game-changer when it came to my relationship with Him.
I got home and I asked that The Lord would bring me back to Jaco. He led me to The World Race, but I never stopped asking The Lord to send me back to Costa Rica. Coming home from The Race, I specifically asked The Lord to send me back by the end of 2019. I was planning on saving up money and visiting for a couple of weeks to see the people that had drawn me to that country in the first place.
Tuesday morning, I was talking on the phone with my Team-Leader from my Passport trip, who is now a missionary in Costa Rica. We had a call scheduled for that day and had brought up the topic of when I’d be able to come to CR again. I prayed and asked God to send me to Costa Rica.. and less than 15 minutes later I got an e-mail revealing that that would be my first country of The Race.
No, I won’t be spending 2 weeks there to visit in December. I’ll be spending THREE MONTHS there in just a few weeks!
When I found this out, I cried. I cried hard. How faithful is The Lord to answer my prayers and how sweet is He to do it so suddenly? Though I may not be staying at the same base in Jaco, I am so excited to return and visit on off days and continue to invest in the relationships that The Lord has given me in that sweet country. It was the hardest for me to leave and is the easiest to go back to. I love Costa Rica so much and I’m so excited for Z Squad to start off The Race in such an incredible country.
Months 4-6: Cambodia
Another one!! Oh my gosh guys, I’m loving this. Hahaha honestly, I can’t get over how good God is.
I spent my 10th month of The Race in Cambodia and it was HARD. My team was sick the majority of the month, we were staying in a small beach town where there was no real grocery store and food was too expensive for our budget, we weren’t allowed to eat in the hostel we were staying in, the spiritual warfare was insane and exhausting, and one morning, I woke up with a rat right next to my face. Things started to lighten up towards the end of the month in Siem Reap, where we met an amazing WR Gap Year Squad and partnered with a Swiss church. Though it was hard, The Lord really broke my heart for Cambodia and all that their country was going through after the Khmer Rouge took over and caused a brutal genocide. Everywhere you look, everyone is young and mines are still leftover in most of the country. It was such a recent and tragic event, but The Lord is bringing missionaries to invest in Cambodia and bring The Kingdom to the sweet country.
When I prayed that prayer on Tuesday, asking The Lord to send me to Costa Rica- I also prayed about going to Cambodia. I have friends who are missionaries there and we were recently talking about me coming to visit them. I had no idea The Lord would send me back so soon! I’m so excited to see how The Lord works in and through our squad in Cambodia and how He breaks the hearts of each person on The Squad for what breaks His.
Months 7-9: Swaziland
Swaziland!! I’ve never been here, but I’ve been asking The Lord to send me here since the end of May, when I found out that I’d be leading a World Race Semesters trip. In my quiet time with The Lord in March, God laid this country on my heart and that was where one of the WR Semesters teams was going. I was SO excited when God called me to lead in Peru, but I also knew that God gave me Swaziland for a reason. Well.. here it is! I’m so excited for our squad to end the Race in Africa and to see what all He has in store for beautiful Swaziland!
Our Sweet God!
I prayed that God would send me to these countries, not knowing that there was an exact route that led to them.. And God answered my prayers in less than 15 minutes.. HOW GOOD IS HE?
I pray that this post serves solely as a testimony to God’s faithfulness and how He truly cares about the desires of our heart. None of this could ever be possible without Him and He gets ALL of the glory! He’s a good Father who knows His children so well- we just need to communicate with Him and trust that He’s going to show up.
I leave in less than TWO WEEKS! I am so beyond excited for this season that He’s taking me into and the opportunity that I have to pour into Z Squad, walk alongside them in their journeys with The Lord, to learn from them, and to watch them THRIVE as they surrender 9 months of their lives to share Christ’s name with the nations! God is doing such huge things through this generation and I still can’t get over the fact that I get to be apart of it! WOW!
Come Alongside Me
I have to raise $3,800 for this trip and all of the expenses will cover lodging, food, transportation, insurance, and other field expenses. If The Lord lays it on your heart to donate one-time or monthly, you can donate by clicking on the fundraising bar at jordanharrington.theworldrace.org.
I’m also praying to raise $1,000 for personal expenses on the field (No, AIM doesn’t buy my toothpaste!). With having a food budget of $4 a day, I have found myself spending personal money on the field for meals. The extra thousand raised will go towards food, personal supplies, and adventure days when we have them! If you’d like to donate, you can Venmo me @JaHarrington or PayPal [email protected].
I’m so excited to share testimonies with you guys of all that The Lord is about to do through this amazing squad!! My heart already swells for them and I’m so excited to meet them in a few weeks! Get ready.. It’s about to get GOOD!
