oh, how thankful i am that mom came down to live life with us for a week. i knew it would be really great…but i also know mom is really different than me. i knew she was nervous and i was a little apprehensive to how she would handle the bugs, food, top bunk and other things that have become completely normal to me. but she pressed right in – holding an iguana (that we would later eat for dinner), climbing in and out of the back of a truck multiple times a day and taking cold showers. i was complimented so many times by other racers that my mom was being “such a trooper.” of course, while she did all of these things… in typical Chris Kempner fashion, the iguana was answered with a scream of “take this thing from me!” and the rainstorm in the back of a truck was met with her head buried in her lap and loud shrieks all the way until we pulled into the compound. but you could see the grace of Jesus so clearly in her. she was just awesome, really…and i think in return she was able to see Jesus show up in really practical and tangible ways because she was living and serving in simplicity.
it was so unbelievably fun for me to introduce mom to my life. we were set up with a ministry where we went into villages and did VBS/church service type ministry. i was so excited to let mom see how i’ve grown in spanish, made real friends on my squad, learned how to step outside of what is comfortable for me and claim self confidence and self worth because of who Jesus is in me. i loved watching her love on little kids, talk with the youth with me, attempt to translate for her, and laugh as i admitted i had absolutely no idea what an old lady who had no teeth was saying to us.
it was so encouraging to me to hear her say that she could tell how happy i was to be doing what i’m doing, how she could tell that i had grown in confidence and how she could see the Lord in me in different kinds of ministry that we did. another thing that was encouraging for me is that she was so uncomfortable. because this life is so fun and natural for me, i often forget that it’s not that way for everyone. i forget that a life without running water and rice and beans isn’t what makes everyone feel like they’re living life right. it encourages me that i have an element, that i’m walking in it and the Lord has equipped me to be doing what i’m doing.
i am thankful that she doesn’t hold me back from following what Jesus has for me – that she supports me in what i feel He calls me to and that she can learn to trust Him with me while i’m learning to trust Him with my life. i’m so glad she came and i’m so glad that Jesus opened her eyes to new things while she was here….and allow me to use that segue to introduce her perspective onto this little adventure i invited her on.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the parent vision trip to Nicaragua with the Y squad. I have to admit, I was a little nervous traveling alone to Nicaragua and about “roughing” it for a week but nothing was going to keep me away from seeing my girl! And even after the bat, snake, mouse, spider and scorpion, I have to say I loved every minute of the trip. God showed up in a big way!
??I already knew the world racers were special people and had to be called by God to give up their “normal” to travel to 11 countries and minister to people in whatever way was needed. But after one week, I realized just how special the racers are! They were so loving to everyone God put in their path. I loved hearing them speak Spanish as they sang, acted and gave their testimonies whenever they were called to do so. It was awesome to me how God has given the racers all different passions. For example, some racers love on the children, others love on youth and others feel called to minister to the adults. Flexibility was the key word of the week and the racers showed the adults how to adapt to every curveball that was thrown our way. To have young adults so on fire for the Lord and be willing to invest in God’s kingdom like the world racers do, is a testimony to how God is working in their generation. As a parent of a racer, I pray Ana never loses the passion and compassion God has given her for His people. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to experience the world race even for a week. From doing ministry with the racers to eating beans and rice with them to riding in the back of a truck in the rain with them to worshiping with them each night – I will forever be changed by the world racers of Y squad!??The people of the villages we visited have every reason to be depressed and bitter. They barely have food to feed their families, no electricity or running water and houses that Americans can’t even imagine. I was thinking our group would go in to the villages and minister to the people and give them hope. I can honestly say I have never met more loving and giving people in my life. The team would sing, do skits, give testimonies and preach. We would love on the kids and the adults. The Nicaraguans listened to every word and laughed and enjoyed all that we had for them. But, in the end, it was the team that was blessed by the people. In one village, the Pastor had people from the congregation, young and old, come up to each racer and parent and lay hands on us and pray over us. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. Even though I did not understand the Spanish they were speaking, I felt the presence of the Lord in a big way! Another friend we met shared a coke with ice with us on a day that the heat was almost unbearable. She was so happy to be able to share with us. I pray that I would be so giving and loving each time God puts an opportunity in front of me.??
People often say to me, “how can you let Ana do that for 11 months with so many unknowns?” My response has always been, “who am I to stop her if God is calling her to go?” After experiencing a small taste of the race, I know Ana is right where she is meant to be at this time. I love that God is allowing her to “trust without borders” and that God is able to “take her farther than her feet could ever wander!”
so the craziness of month 8 is over and month 9 (THATS CRAZY) is about here. my team changed again…back to all girls. this month we’re doing unsung heroes…thats when a team goes into a country with no ministry planned, no where to stay and no agenda. we pray into what the Lord has for us in the country and we go out and find it. the main goal is to find new contacts to report back to AIM and in the process the Lord has the opportunity to show up and show off. while i am sad about team changes and still processing through that, i am thankful for the distraction of an exciting month like this. so, here goes month 9!
