Hello! It’s Maayyyyy (again)! Haha Coming to you from a jet plane somewhere over Souteast Asia one last time, making my merry way to South Africa with the squad! Woop! Woop! Issabout to be on and poppin’ homies!
I’m super excited to be on another continent! Southeast Asia has been wonderful, and I’ve had some amazing experiences but I’m ready to hit the road Jack! Hehe
Today’s blog is about reflection, community and empowerment. More specifically related to this month spent with the Unscripted Girl Gang. Also, I’ll have some more picture blogs coming at you soon too from my time in Malaysia and Indonesia. Be on the lookout!
As I look back on my time spent on the WR so far, I see so much growth. If I am honest, I started out a bit skeptical about what this community was going to look like for me. I wasn’t prepared or even fully committed to loving the people I was about to do life with. My focus was on Jesus. Missions. The “business” I was here for…not to “make friends”. BUT GOD, He had other plans.
Initially, I missed my community so much. I missed my prayer warriors and my best friends. & although they are all still around, supporting and loving me from afar, God rewarded my obedience to step out in faith into the unknown and gifted me a new community to grow and flourish in.
When I finally began to open up and share more of myself with others, I was met with so much kindness, love and acceptance. I found similarities in some of the personalities of my new friends as some of my bests back home. That made me so happy! It felt familiar and made things more comfortable. It was a reminder that God truly loves us so well that He doesn’t forget the things that are important to us. It’s been so neat to live this out.
This month we did a thing called Wo(Man)istry and got to spend the entire month on an all girls team. The boys got to do their own thing too. Our time together was so much fun. It was an emotional, liberating and empowering time. Our ministry for this month involved celebrating, encouraging and serving other women and each other. It was so beautiful and such an honor.
We even adopted a sweet Indonesian friend named Yosi who became a permanent addition to our squad. & although she is currently unable to continue traveling with us, we spent a fair share of time with her hopping around Indonesia. She was the one that the Lord had on His heart for us. She was the one that needed encouragement but little did she know just how much we needed her too. She encouraged us. She was such a huge blessing and I know that none of us will ever forget this experience. You see Yosi had been struggling in her walk with the Lord. She’d been praying for God to allow her to meet other believers. She longed for community and God sent us all the way across the world to give that to her. She spoke so much about the things she felt about herself or even lack thereof, but all those things were just lies. She said she struggled with confidence. She struggled with discernment. She just struggled and struggled in so many different areas that she began to doubt. & that was exactly what the enemy wanted. BUT GOD sent us – an imperfect girl gang to come alongside her and just do life with her. Once she realized that we struggle too, I think she understood that we are all just targets. Targets of the enemy because we are daughters of the Most High King. We had such an incredible opportunity to pour into her and all glean from each other.
Yosi is so special y’all. She is just a little tiny ball of joy. A ray of sunshine. She is adorably cute, beautiful inside and out. She is kind, she is smart, she is funny and she is unique. I can’t even begin to put into words just how amazing this woman is! She was our gift from the Lord in Indonesia and for that I am forever grateful. I will cherish our time together (which was definitely not long enough) and our friendship forever. I’m praying and hoping that one day, God will allow us to see each other again. & won’t He do it!?!?! I am believing and trusting in that.
What I saw this month was power, resilience, radiance, confidence, kindness, compassion and love. What I saw was a bunch of previously broken women, come together and share their stories of triumph, redemption, restoration and honor. Women that celebrated the goodness in each other and everyone around them because of what God had done for us. What I saw was a true reflection of Jesus. & that is something that I will continue to strive for as long as I live. To live everyday building others up, lending a helping hand and carrying my brothers and sisters burdens as my own.
How about you? How will you live out the rest of your life working for the Kingdom?
