- Sometimes it is more about the love you show towards people rather than what you can tangibly give them
- There has been countless times that a simple smile, hello or starting a conversation with someone meant the world to them. Last month during a prayer walk my team met a man named Vernie at a bus stop waiting to catch a ride home while enjoying a beer. We initiated a conversation with him and he responded harshly at first but by the end of our 45 minutes conversation he was in tears telling us about his life and all of the pain he currently felt. He kept stating that he didn’t understand why we came up to him just to tell him how much he is loved and seen but that unexplainable, incomprehensible Godly love is what changes people’s hearts.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35
- You can set out to change the world but the world changes you
- I don’t mean this in the sense that the world influences your morals as “we are in the world but not of it”. I mean this in the sense that sometimes the missionary mindset is that “We’re going to go out to share the Gospel with these foreigners, radically impact their lives and see amazing miracles!” Which all of the above has happened but sometimes we don’t expect be the ones that are impacted. There are some days that it really hits me how blessed I truly am. How healthy my family is, the ability to get a quality education, the ridiculous amount of excess that I have at home that I realize I can live without and so much more.
- God is more concerned about what is going on in our hearts than what we are physically doing
- I learned this month 1 while working with our Missions Beyond Aviation host, Ethan. He always told us that the work is infinite, there is always something else that needs to be done, built or fixed but what is more important is what God is teaching us through our work. We worked on a 23 acre open field that will one day become an amazing ministry site yet there was no way we could build everything in a month but God began to work on my team’s heart during that time and learned some hard lessons. God is way more concerned about our heart posture and motive rather than what we actually produce. He wants our hearts, minds and obedience through every season of our lives, not just a pile of good deeds at the end of our life.
“Not everyone who says to ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will say to them plainly ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’”.
Matthew 7:21-23
- Always keep baby wipes handy
- THEY’RE USEFUL FOR EVERYTHING! TRUST ME!
- The Race isn’t full of “Jesus highs” all the time
- You see all of the amazing stories of what God has done on the field and all of the perfect Instagram shots during ministry but some days it can feel like the same old thing. We all should be renewing our mind daily to have eyes like Christ for what we are doing but there are some days where it can feel stagnant. The World Race is marketed as this exhilarating 11 months of adventure to share the Gospel, which it totally is, yet there are times where you can feel like your ministry is mundane. I’ve learned to realize that sometimes through the mundane ministry is where God can speak the loudest, not always the huge, impactful moments.
- Have no expectations!!!
- Staff and alumni told us this at both training camp & launch and I honestly believed that I had let go of everything until I was quickly thrown off when I got on the field. Tying into #5, don’t rely on what you see marketed or on Instagram as everyone’s WR is completely different. Open your mind, submit everything to Christ and be flexible to do the unimaginable.
- Having no Wi-Fi can be a good thing
- If you would have told me this before this month I probably would have rolled my eyes at you but during this month I have learned how much clearer I can hear the Lord. REAP Granada has been amazing at cultivating an amazing atmosphere for missionaries to thrive. There have been other months where we didn’t have Wi-Fi but it was easily accessible a block away whereas here in Granada it is a 15 minute taxi drive away to connect with the world. REAP has implemented a 5am prayer, mandatory early morning quiet times and a book study for us which caused me to delve deeper into my relationship with Christ instead of trying to stay in touch with everyone in California. I can feel the shift in my spiritual walk and have been able to discern His voice better.
UPDATES
MINISTRY: My team and I are in Granada, Nicaragua working with REAP Granada for the month. We’ve done evangelism, kids programs, manual labor, visited nursing homes and have mainly been trying to build relationships with the locals in towns.
FUNDRAISING: The grand total for the World Race is $18,100 and as of today I currently have raised $11,027 which puts me at 60% of the ultimate goal. I met the first two deadlines ($5k & $10k) but I have missed my most recent deadline of $13k by September 30th. I am currently in danger of leaving home and I’m looking for monthly and one-time donors to help support me through this journey. All donations are tax-deductible.
