The church I grew up in, Good Shepherd Presbyterian, asked me to write a summary of my World Race over the last 11 months to print for this past Sunday’s bulletin. It was a good opportunity for me to reflect on what the Lord has done in my heart over the past year.
It was a good sounding board to remember and relive the amazing memories the Lord has brought me in this season before it draws to a close in a few weeks. I discovered that I have learned even more than I realized and thought it would be good idea to share these reflections with those who have been following my journey so closely.
11 Countries
11 Months
1 really good God
They said it would go by fast- like the blink of an eye, my 11 months are coming to a rapid close. I have taken 10 flights, 25 busses, over 100 taxis, and slept in at least 50 different locations this year. As I reflect on my journey, I can recognize his character being unveiled more and more each day through the people we met, the ministry we lived, and the unexpected divine encounters- the undeniable God moments. Every country presented its own blessings, challenges, and life lessons which I will never forget.
In India, we preached the gospel to people who had never heard the name of Jesus.
In Nepal we fed and played soccer with kids living in slums and helped to free women in dance bars, chained by the sex trafficking industry.
We told college students in Vietnam the good news of Jesus’s death and resurrection while tutoring them in English despite the fact it was illegal to share the truth of the gospel in their country.
Kids in Cambodia came to know the love of Christ through song, dance while hundreds of kids in Thailand and Albania experienced vacation Bible school for the first time in their lives.
I saw the goodness of God poured out on the refugee population through the love and service of the modern church in Thessaloniki, Greece.
In Kosovo, a 94% Muslim community heard the gospel proclaimed through flyers, acts of service, and even drama.
In Zimbabwe, the poor and homeless were fed through a church soup kitchen, and the gospel proclaimed through Bible studies and kids programs in a squatters village.
My parents and I had the opportunity to witnesses and take part in feeding and loving hundreds of kids, a majority whose parents are HIV positive, at care points all over Swaziland.
In South Africa, God is starting a revolution in the modern church to bring back the radical nature of the gospel with the next generation, taking on the call from Jesus to tangibly care for the widow and orphan.
This is just a short synopsis of the Kingdom work I saw this year- I could fill a book with all the miraculous ways I encountered the Lord. I saw God do more in a single day then I could dream of accomplishing in a year. Day in and day out, I saw his goodness poured out on his children. Even in the most desperate of situations, the glory of God was clearly seen in how the church loved and cared for the community around them.
I have learned so much about the Lord’s character and his promises in each new experience and in the many friendships built throughout my journey. Just a few days ago, I sat in a church service holding a toddler so her mother could have a few hours of peace (moms and dads needing a break from their kids is a global concept). I couldn’t help but feel the power of God’s unconditional love simply by holding this sweet, sleeping child in my arms. Even in the simple and the mundane, the Lord meets us. It’s impossible to spend even a second in the presence of the Lord without feeling completely overwhelmed by his beauty, grace and joy.
Through my experiences this year, I have discovered that ministry isn’t a set period of time, or a service project we begin and end. Ministry is meant to be woven into every area of our lives. We are purposed for a lifestyle of serving and loving people in our local communities and around the globe, both those in our friend groups and those who aren’t in our jobs, in our homes, in our friend groups. This is our call as believers in Christ! This is what it means to be Christ to the nations and to bring Christ to the nations- sharing the good news of the gospel with the world, caring for the poor, loving the lost, providing for the orphan and the widow.
11 months, 11 countries- 1 really good God. I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend a year of my life. It’s by far the best decision I have ever made. Good Shepherd, I cannot thank you enough for investing financially and prayerfully into this journey and year of Kingdom work. Your generosity is one more testimony to God’s infinite blessings in my life and the lives of so many others around the world.
My journey isn’t over yet, so soon I will be posting a blog about what ministry has looked like over my final two months.
Thank you all for following my journey and sending me prayers of encouragement and words of life. Your support means more to me than you will ever know!
