We are going into month 9 of the Race. Next week I will be in Africa, our final continent (of four). This journey has been one of a lifetime to say the least. There is a lot to “process” – a word that is used frequently here as world race lingo. But I have learned that taking time to rest with the Lord and digging deeper into the lessons He is teaching me in each season is worth it.
This month has looked a lot different for my team. We had an “ATL” month or “ask the Lord” month and that is exactly what it sounds like. This month in the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia, we did not have a host or nonprofit/ministry to serve. Instead our goal was to ask the Lord each day what He had for us in serving Him. Our team spent time together in prayer each morning asking God if there was anything specific He had in store for us that day. We spent a lot of time praying for the people of this city, spending time with homeless, and volunteering at churches. But through various connections, we were also able to serve in more specific ways such as organizing an entire garage of clothes that one woman collects to give to the homeless, and spending time with super cool highschoolers at a Young Life club gathering.
So here I am, the end of month eight… the beginning of month nine. About to go through another team change. And travel to another continent. Here’s to new seasons and the final chunk of my World Race.
But first a story 🙂
Two weeks ago, we met a beautiful twenty something Bulgarian girl. Her name is Vicki. She was our free city walking tour guide. My teammates and I were intrigued by her comments about tolerance and the struggle of Christianity in the Orthodox religion. (Btw. The majority of people here want nothing to do with religion, but the majority are also Orthodox as custom of the culture.. Fair.) So we asked her after the tour if we could buy her coffee or lunch and talk more about the history of the city, communism, etc.
We ended up having the opportunity to meet with her a few days later, but didn’t talk at all about the city of Sofia. Instead, Vicki had so many questions about what we were doing here and what we believed. We had the opportunity to sit with her and share the gospel for two hours.
We kept telling Vicki how much Jesus loves her. How He wants a true authentic relationship with her, His daughter. She couldn’t believe it. She kept saying “no, He can’t love me.” “I am a bad person, I am not worthy of his love.”
My teammate shared a beautiful depiction about God’s grace – the free gift that it is. A gift that is meant to be accepted – even if it feels weird and awkward. And by choosing to not receive it, you are breaking your Creator’s heart. But choosing to receive it, allows you to experience the fullness that He has for you in relationship with Him.
After awhile, Vicki gave into truth. The truth that we kept speaking over her, that He is speaking over her continuously and will never stop. She is so dang loved. Vicki is so dang loved. She was blown away by Jesus’ Love.
The peace of the Holy Spirit that my teammates and I experienced around the table as we got to pray for Vicki, and she prayed for herself, was a moment that I will never forget the rest of my life. God is always good. And the change in Vicki’s spirit and her face as she lit up was just a testament of His goodness.
I also had the opportunity to encourage her with my key necklace before we left, another free gift to remind her of God’s grace in her life. I gave it to her and with tears streaming down her face, she hugged me.
Oh, there is such a difference in people when they know that they are loved and there is nothing that have to do about it.
What a month it has been.
Chao eastern Europe! See you soon Africa!
