This is the Big Almaty Lake. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. I realize that you all see things through my lens that I choose to show you.
I have been to so many beautiful places that people dream of going to. I get to do things that people can’t even imagine. I am living some of your dreams. What you don’t see though are the times where I am doing the normal things that I did back in the United States.
I go to the supermarket, I cook at “home” all the time. I eat way too many french fries and drink so much coffee that people wonder if I’m even drinking enough water (I’m not by the way). I ride public transportation like busses and the metro. I know that Amarillo and Canyon doesn’t have much of that, but it’s normal for some of you.
I want you all to know that while I get to go to these amazing places, I am usually sitting with some of my teammates and maybe some locals in coffee shops or doing whatever they do on their day-to-day basis.
“Ministry is life and life is ministry” is a saying that I remember being told to my squad during training camp a ton. I didn’t truly understand what that meant, but now I can say that what I’m doing is normal life, just in a different place where I can’t read the signs or speak the language. I’m not doing anything spectacular. I’m just sitting here, either in my coffee shop, talking to my friend who happens to be a Muslim or I’m sitting in a cafeteria where the university students go to eat and I’m listening to the testimonies of two of my new friends.
My time on the race has been great. I have met some of the most amazing people. My team has helped lift me up from some of the harder things I’ve gone through, I was asked to be a team leader, and I’ve learned so much about my relationship with God. God has been teaching me how to find peace and quiet in Him. I have prayed more these past two weeks than I have in a very long time, and I have spent more time seeking out my time with my Father.
This month has also been filled with so much fun! Some of the team went to the lake and finished out the day with taking photos in a park that had so many Autumn colors.
So, I am almost to $12,000 funded! Please help me get to the fully funded amount of $19,200. It is due by November 30th! I am so in love with what God has called me to do and I want to keep doing this. If you would like to donate, please click on the donate button at the top and follow the super simple instructions to give what you can. It helps even if you give your $5 that you would use for coffee. Thank you for following my journey, you guys are so important to my story.
-Jo
