Well friends & fam,
We are out from the Jungle’s of Peru. We are safe. & we are already in Bolivia and on our fourth month of this journey. How crazy is that?
Before I tell you all about the insane adventure that was Peru, I must first give you a final recap of Ecuador & what it taught me. (Organization is not my friend & I procrastinate too much, sorry!)
There is also a video attached at the bottom!
On my last blog about Ecuador, I said that it was a challenging one from our very first week there.
Well, the stretching continued.
We were partnered with CRU in Quito. CRU is a ministry that desires to create Christian leaders and communities at Universities through discipleship and evangelism. Our 3 leaders were from the USA as well and were such a joy to work with! Their passion for these students is amazing and it was honoring to help them seek out more believers on campuses and to share the gospel to those who aren’t.
I knew I wanted to come on this race so that I could see people come to Christ. I also knew that I never went to evangelize as much as others did. It was an area I was wanting to grow in. But what I didn’t know is that its a little harder for me than I thought.
I get nervous. I don’t always want to speak to people. Language barriers can be frustrating because you cant explain as well as you want in your native language. Evangelizing can be draining. And it’s hard to go up to people and say something you nearly recited when I am someone who is so based on relationships and the natural flow of conversations. I love people. I want them to know the truth. I want them to hear how amazing God is and how much He desires for them to know Him – because He already knows & loves them. But it doesn’t always play out that way.
We got rejected. A lot.
It was never in a hurtful, “What you believe is stupid, go away” kind of rejection. People in Ecuador were very polite. But you can tell when people don’t want to listen. When they’re too busy. When they just simply don’t care to know what you’re passionate about. It’s a normal human tendency to not like rejection. It’s a part of life. So this was just something I had to learn and be ok with when it came to laying our intentions out there.
This month made me reflect a lot on Jesus as my source of strength. It made me have to wake up every morning needing to spend time with him more than I usually did. Needing to hear His words. And to be filled with His love. If I didn’t do these things, I knew the day would be that much harder. I’d have that much less energy.
It also made me think about how much Jesus got rejected himself. Mostly by his very own people. I would speak with Him and wonder “wow Lord, if this stings me that they don’t want to hear about your goodness, how much more did it hurt you to see people actively shut you down. In your face. You know your glory, truth & power more than anyone and all you wanted were people to simply listen to you & understand in a different way that this life is not about religion. It’s not about rules, fame, money, how much you have or how intelligent you are. It’s about simply walking in this life with you. Letting your captivate us. Letting that love pour onto others. Teaching us that we don’t have to carry the world on our shoulders. That healing in our hearts is possible. And that we have a purpose far greater than our human eyes can see & desire for ourselves.”
When you know the greatness of God and all He saved you from, it’s hard to see people not understand or want that. However, we remain faithful.
Sharing His good news. Loving people. Being a listening ear. Walking with those who are hurting. Planting those seeds, even though we might not see the fruit.
The rest is the work of our Lord.
So even though this was a challenging month, I can look back and give thanks to the boldness it gave me. The ability to hear stories of students. The chance to be a crying shoulder. Accepting our small part in God’s big story. The reminder of the importance of being filled with Christ first. Seeing my teammates grow in their gifts. And the new openness I have to speak about Christ with whoever is in front of me. I hope we never grow weary of our greatest calling.
Love,
Jezebelle
Fundraising Update:
I am about $1,200 away from being fully funded!! Thank you to everyone who partnered with me during the month of December! Almost 3,000 was given in support. Agh, you guys blow me away! If y’all can continue to pray/ partner with me for my FINAL goal of $1,200 that has to be met by January 31st, that would be amazing! Either way, I am certain God will provide.
Here is the ministry video made by my teammate, Wesley!
