Hey everyone!
I just wanted to drop in and give you all some quick updates about my trip to Zambia with the World Race. Due to Covid-19, I was not able to travel overseas. While it was hard to come to terms with not being able to travel to Zambia, the Lord reminded of this verse:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to HIM and HE will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
To lean not on my own understanding was definitely not easy to put into practice. I desired so badly to know all of the answers, but where’s the faith in that? In this season, the Father has been teaching me how to surrender control and trust Him in ways I never expected. How beautiful, how freeing.
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Let’s fast forward. I am currently writing to you from Wisconsin Dells! Random! Isn’t it? I think sometimes we tell Lord we’re willing to follow Him anywhere in hopes of Him leading us to the places we want to go.
“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'” Luke 10:2
I could feel God asking me, “How much do you trust me? Are you willing to follow me ANYWHERE, even if it’s completely unexpected?” Wisconsin was definitely the last place I expected to be my harvest field. But the truth is, the Gospel is needed everywhere. Even though the location of my trip has changed, the mission remains the same- to serve, minister, and share the Gospel.
I arrived here on June 30th and will be staying here until August 1st. I’m here with 9 others who were either already on the field and pulled in early from their trips or whose trips were canceled due to COVID-19. My team and I are working with Bridgepoint Mission Center, a church on mission.
Daily Living: We are currently living dorm-style with international J-1 students. The J-1 students are provided with visas to work at nearby resorts, waterparks, and restaurants. Currently, over 500 International University Students from all over the world are delayed in the Dells until their countries reopen their borders due to the virus. My teammates and I are split up into groups, bunking with some of these students. Doing life with them daily has been such an unexpected blessing!
Ministry Opportunities: We’ve been given the opportunity to work alongside the J-1 students at Kalahari Resort. The majority of us are lifeguarding at the waterpark while a few others are working at Tom Foolery’s (the adventure park). We are working there for 3 days a week. While being a lifeguard this summer was definitely not on my radar, it has created a whole new depth in building relationships with them!
On the days we aren’t working at the waterpark, we’re serving at a local food pantry called Beyond Blessed. The pantry was started by a member of Bridgepoint Church. Pre COVID-19, they were serving 70 families, and now they’re serving over 350 families a week. We have been helping with unloading trucks, packaging and preparing meals, and distributing them to the community. While it has been very physically demanding, it has been such a blessing to BE the hands and feet and lighten the staff’s load.
Here are some things you can be praying for:
- Provision; health, safety, and protection as we travel.
- Divine appointments; opportunities to share the Gospel with the international students and others that we meet; pray that God will soften and prepare the hearts of those we encounter.
- Against spiritual warfare; drowsiness, apathy, anything that distracts or pulls us away from what the Lord has called us here for.
- Our hearts and minds; that we are keeping our eyes set on Him and seeking HIS Kingdom first; That we are fully trusting and relying on Him and His wisdom, not our own; That we reflect Christ’s love in all that we do.
- Darkness lifted; Pray that the light of God will shine through, lifting darkness and oppression as we share His love.
- Strength and perseverance; to continue running the race with obedience.
- That God will be glorified in EVERY aspect of our time spent here.
- Pray that God will continue His work here even after we leave.
While this summer is looking a lot different than the preconceived plans that I had for myself, I am learning to trust and surrender to the Lord in ways I never could have imagined. I am so humbled to be given the opportunity to be a part of working in the Lord’s plans.
I would just like to say, THANK YOU!! I cannot say thank you enough.
Thank you for the prayers.
Thank you for the encouragement.
Thank you for the financial contributions and partnership.
Thank you for all of it!
Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, He is good!
I am excited to see God continue to work in bigger and better ways than I can anticipate as we finish out our time here in Wisconsin. If you have any questions, prayer requests, or concerns, feel free to email me at [email protected] or text me if you have my number!
Blessings,
Amanda
