It is officially time to hop on a plane and go to South Africa. We have had our last day of ministry, said goodbye to our Costa Rican families, gone to our favorite coffee shops and restaurants for the last time, and there have been lots of tears. This being my first stop on the race I wasn’t sure what in the world it was going to look like. There were so many factors that were unknown, but the one on the top of the list was what was Jesus going to do. I wasn’t sure how He was going to work through me, wasn’t sure what He was going to reveal about my relationship with him, and I really wasn’t sure how He was going to start the process of changing me to look more and more like Him.
Well three months later here we are. There has been so much growth over these past three months. So much more than I could ever imagine, and the funny thing is that I am just now recognizing the growth. In those moments of struggle and hurt I saw nothing but the struggle and hurt; however, being surrounded by such a strong community allowed me to not just sit and wallow in it, they encouraged me to press in to the Lord during those times.
The Lord has grown me in patience through countless hours of sitting and riding on buses. I’ve gotten the opportunity to start opening my eyes up to what it truly means when we ask the Lord to make me a vessel. Through countless “awkward” moments he started showing me that it is not me, not any power that I have…only the faith that I have in him and the yes that is in my spirit that allows him to move. I have gotten to see how powerful the love of Jesus is, and how on my own I don’t have the love or strength or endurance to love people the way I am truly called to. Through countless situations of being scared out of my mind to say yes to what the Lord is calling me to He has lead me into a spirit of boldness. After stepping out of a leadership position in worship for these first couple months, the Lord has shown me more of what it looks like to stay in this state of worship and surrender more than just during the worship session. He’s allowed me to step more into solely focusing on who he is and the truths I am singing to Him during worship.
Costa Rica has become such a sweet place to call home for these past three months, and I am so excited to see what else the Lord has in store for South Africa!
