I’m back in a place where I love with people that I love.
If you know me or read my “Why the World Race” blog, then you’ve heard about the impact that Kazakhstan has had on me. This is the place where I committed to doing ministry after I graduate, where God wrecked my heart for girls who don’t know Him, and where God showed me the greatest joy of sharing His grace. I have learned to share my faith clearer and to pray harder because of this place and the time I spent in this country. It holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons.
And now God has brought me back. Although it’s only for one month (that feels like it’s flying by), I could not be more thankful. I frequently feel emotional at this kindness from my Father. I have gotten to spend sweet time with a couple of my friends here that really makes my heart leap with joy. I cherish our laughs, prayer requests, and shared stories. My team and I have started to get involved in a college ministry here – attending different events, prayer walking the university campus, and meeting with students. Next week I will travel to a different city and meet up with some of my old friends, while also assisting some students in starting a Christian club. What a joy it is to be back here!
Prayer
Praises:
- I have gotten to spend an amazing eight months traveling the world and having experiences I never even dreamed of! I want to continue to have a heart of thankfulness and joy.
- My team and I are working on living a healthy lifestyle through exercise and eating well. This helps my mental health J
- I survived ten days of travel! It wasn’t the easiest, but God sustained me. My squad and I traveled from Armenia to Georgia and through Azerbaijan on two night trains. We stayed in Baku, Azerbaijan while we waited for our ship. This provided some rest and showers (praise God). Then we road on a cargo ship for 30 hours across the Caspian Sea and a 48 hours train across Kazakhstan. It wasn’t very glamorous and there were moments I thought that I’d go insane, but man was it a unique bucket list experience.
Requests:
- I so deeply want my friends here to know Jesus. I have prayed for one specific girl for years and I would love for you to pray with me. Please pray that she will recognize that Jesus is God and that a relationship with Him is true joy.
- My team and I have voiced that we are looking forward to being home. This doesn’t mean we want to get on a plane right now, in fact that would be upsetting, but we aren’t dreading the end of the World Race either. We are trying to learn the balance between remaining present in our team and ministry here, while also managing excitement and planning for the next phase in our lives.
* Reminder: I am fully funded! Check out my post http://laurennelson.theworldrace.org/post/im-fully-funded for more information.
A few pictures from my travel from Armenia to Kazakhstan
When on the world race, we squeeze.
Sleeper car number two
Crossed the Caspian Sea in Caspar the cargo ship
Made some friends on our 48 hour train
We made it!
