WOW! I am currently sitting at the airport of Fort Laudelale (now I can say that I have been to Miami at least once in my life!) on my way to PERU, the first country where we will start our mission trip to serve communities around the world and share LOVE! (I will give you more details about our ministry volunteering activity in the next few days, stay tuned and subscribe to my blog to be updated as soon as I post;). Just sipped my double espresso and ready to take you in my processing – recording time!
Please bear with me if I make some grammar or spelling mistakes because I slept only 3 hours and I m in the middle of a 9 hours layover (half of it it’s almost gone) in front of me + spending the night in a hostel in Lima later tonight + a 20 hours bus ride to Cusco tomorrow to reach our base!
I got to the USA last Friday after another long crazy journey ( it looks like the norm for my travels these days! However, I can’t complain at all this time around because I was travelling from Italy, my home courntry, where I had the blessing to spend some good precious time with my family and I am trully so grateful for that opportunity! I even had the chance to go to swim almost every day in the beatiful beach near my parents home, Siderno (Calabria), well after the official end of the summer on the 21st September! Moreover, I went to the hills and places where I used to play when I was a child and that was so emotional for me! I stared at the same landscapes and gorgeous views that were “my” hidden treasures many years ago! I walked by the trees I used to climb on and fantasize! I felt like God was talking to me through that centenary olive tree I was caressing and which somehow became all of a sudden ”alive” bringing up so many memories of my childhood. That tree was like a metaphor of my life: despite many different seasons, good and bad, I was still there, standing and persevering. I felt reassured about the promise of God found in the Bible that “I will see His goodness in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).
In Atlanta, we had 3 intense days of training and worship with our leadership team and the parents of same Racers who joined us for the Launch event before departure. When I arrived at the Hotel, I was absolutely drained both phisically and mentally from the stress of planning and preparing for the World Race in the previous weeks! And I guess when you are so tired sometimes even your perspective, attitude towards things and mindset start to change and you become temporary blind, no longer able to see the full picture, the mission ahead! I remember thinking: “Oh my gosh, did I really sign up for THIS??? “.
My flight was delayed and I was the last one to get at the Registration venue. I got to my room to drop my super heavy backpack
while everyone else was in the main conference. The only thing I wanted in that moment was to have a shower, lay down and relax after not resting for almost 24 hours! I looked at the room, at the luggages of the other 3 girls I was sharing the place with and I started to cry, actually I sobbed so loudly that it is likely they heard me up to the 17th floor! Maybe for the first time since training camp, the thought of what I was actually stepping into hit me really hard: the fact of not seeing my family for 11 months, the long travelling days ahead, the unknonw, the lack of privacy and indipendece, not having the conforts I was used to and the freedom in planning my time, etc….I seriously thought I was inflicting my self a phisical and spiritual tourture! Now, looking back, I can see how I was obviously and easily loosing sight of my reason for being there, of the missional greater purpose ! Is this happening to you too? Are you so exausted or busy that you can’t see where you are going and the meaning or the true reason of what you are doing? if so I want to invite you to just slow down maybe and just be still before the Lord, resting on His loving arms, feeling HIS love surrounding you, longing for HiS peace… Ask Him to show you once again your purpose and how much He cares for you and you will be amazed! (“Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest!”Jesus speaking in Matthew 11:28)
Let’s back to my story. Once again my emotions had prevailed, at least temporary… after almost 20 minutes I dried my eyes, I put myself together and in Gods hands and went downstairs. They were at the end of the worship session when something beautiful happend that touched my heart. I hadn’t asked my parents to come to Launch because of the very big distance and the language barrier, so I was there by myself. Unexpectedly, the father of one of the racer from the other squad which I didn’t nt even know, invited me to join his family so that they could pray for me as well while they were doing it for his daughter! it was a touching moment and on that occasion God reminded me of the beauty of unity, community and how His Kingdom of Love and acceptance looks like when we pursue it! The same “kingdom-family touch” I also sensed it when I was welcomed by our friendly coaches Mike e Char! They are so lovely and convey wisdom and peace!
Another beautiful moment I want to share was what happened yesterday evening. Once again I can testify of how the Lord hears all our crys and our tears, how He feels our sadneess and nostalgy and how in all of this He wants to reminds us of His infinite and unmerited love all the time! It was almost 7pm, just before the start of the last session of the day, and I decided to go on the top floor to admire the view from there. When I was looking at the beaufiful red sunset over Atlanta, I was amazed once again at the power and creativity of our God! However, at the same time a lot of fears and sadness started to fill up my mind and spirit. I thought about my life, my past failures and mistakes, the relations that didn’ t work out the way I wanted, things or projects I had started and never accomplished, certain patterns and dinamyques that seemed to repeat themselves over and over again in my life…I literally asked the Lord how He could be loving someone like me, I told Him that I was desperately in need of a sign of His love towards me, Simona, that very night…Loaded with all of this negativity, I headed donwnstairs where the session was held, they were singing and the lyrics of the song were reciting: God is madly in love with you! I can’t t even start to describe what I felt in that moment in my heart! Those words, that I had already heard many times, had an extraordinary powerful impact on me like never before, they were like exploding into my heart! I felt the powerful connction with the Father and I was visualizing the springs of “living waters” Jesus was telling about to the woman at well, Gospel of Jhon 4:13-14)
My “revelation night” wasn’t t over yet because in the midst of this experience, our beautiful advisor Mack, approached me to tell me she strongly felt God was pointed her out to come and talk to me to let me know that He knew the weight of my sacrifices, that He loved me deeply and this is just the begining of the work He is starting inside me and trough me!
My friend, if you ever doubt, seek with all your heart God, the face of Jesus, His Love and He will blow your mind away! He will pour out His love into your heart and you will know Him personally !
Blessings!
Simona
PS
Ps:WAYS you can support me:
Through PRAYER: please pray for safety for me and my team and that we can bear fruit and make a difference wherever we are impacting communities and people!
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Thank you so MUCH even for just reading:)
Simona
