Gisele Marie
Gisele walks in true freedom through the blood of Christ and every step she takes is soaked with joy. She has taught me so much about the Lord’s power to restore things for His glory. He restores relationships, dreams, and even missed out opportunities to climb mango trees.
One day in the Dominican Republic, we were assigned to clear up the pasture for our hosts cows (here’s another blog about this crazy ministry). We were working on the hillside surrounded by mountains with peaks touching the clouds. During one of our water breaks, Gisele came and sat next to me in tears. She began sharing a story of regret she has been holding onto from when she was younger. Her dad used to ask her to climb mango trees with him and she would reply with a defiant no every time. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she meditated on the missed opportunities she had with her dad. After a few more minutes of sitting under the shade of the mango tree, her expression changed from sadness to determination. Gisele got up and walked straight for the mango tree. I was moved to tears watching her climb the tree with such confidence. Seeing the Lord restore this for her with every branch she triumphed was a victory for all of us watching. Mango tress will always be my favorite trees. They are a reminder that the Lord will restore broken memories any past just to glorify Him.
Gisele is a light shining in the darkness and this team would not have been the same without her. She invited our team into choosing intimacy with Jesus and listening to the Holy Spirit in every situation. Gisele supported me in every decision I made as a leader and encouraged me to pursue my wildest dreams. She has always been there to hold my hand through stressful moments or to laugh the stress away.
Before the World Race, I prayed for the Lord to bless me with strong friendships with the women on my team. Gisele is one of the answers to that prayer. The Lord provided me with a sister to do this adventure with and she will always be family to me.
What I’ve been reading lately :
The Color of Grace by Bethany Williams
