Moving Fast Moving Forward
Life has brought it’s challenges up to this point. So much has happened and it has been nearly impossible to keep up with all the change. I don’t know exactly the last place I left off, so here it goes.
We spent the month in Lebanon in December and had Christmas there.
We then traveled to Israel for a week over new years to reunite as a squad and also see some of the sites.
After our week in Israel, we were split up into new teams again and flew out to Georgia. This was right around January 6th. We spent the month in Georgia working with a host and a small church plant. Three families were meeting to start an English Christian Fellowship. I had the privilege of being a the first guest speaker in the church and I was honored to be able to share the Gospel.
I made a video about Lebanon and Georgia, but the WiFi has been so bad I can’t get either of them to upload. So, hopefully soon you will get a glimpse into what has happened soon.
After about 3 weeks in Georgia, we all met in the “City of Love” called Signagi for debrief. It was in the middle of nowhere, but it had an incredible view. We had mountains in the distance and there was a castle wall that you could climb around the city. It was a great place to debrief because there was not a whole lot of distractions. I wrote a whole blog on things I learned at debrief and it is called Race Life if you want to hear more of what God was putting on my heart.
During this whole month of Georgia, I was praying for Egypt and the ability to go. And just before debrief, we got tickets and all the money we needed came in. Praise the LORD!! Thank you for your prayers in this, it was absolutely amazing to see God move the mountain and smash down this door.
We then flew out from Tbilisi, Georgia on February 6th to Egypt! What a crazy ride.
We made it to Cairo, Egypt at 4:00am local time after stoping for a 5 hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey. Our host met us at the airport with a big van and took us to a local school where we spent the next 2 nights. We then traveled north to a small town for two days were we got to work with a special needs school, an anglican church, hospital and a christian school. The experience was incredible. Within those two days we did so many things. I got to preach a sermon to the young adults group (about 15 people not including our team), pray for over 20 people at the local hospital, and speak to around 1,000 kids with my team going from class room to classroom. I got to place my hands on two people at the hospital who had blind eyes and pray for healing. I wish I could tell you I they were opened, but they didn’t this time. However, it was an testimony I will forever remember because it is not everyday you even see someone with blind eyes. These two men were muslims and it was a way to love them even if they didn’t fully know or understand.
After the two days, we headed south and stopped in Cairo to grab food and supplies for our time on what they call “The Land.” While in Cairo, I got to meet up with some friends who are from America who are living there for a year to plant churches. Before the race, we bonded quickly sharing the same heart for different cultures and overseas Kingdom building. I would have never thought just under 2 years later I would be sitting down and talking with them in Cairo, Egypt.
Anyway, we traveled farther south after that to a little town and we spent the rest of our time at “The Land.” We worked on the soccer field by digging 40 holes about 3.5 feet deep and then hand mixing cement to put a pipe in it. We were building the outer frame where the net will hang so that the ball doesn’t go out into the neighbors field. We also worked a building a new ministry class room for the future, so that more people can be trained about Kingdom building and outreach. On top of that, Nathan (my friend from South Dakota) and I had an idea to build a fire pit for our host. Our team helped and we made it on our adventure day and the next two nights we had dinner by the fire.
Egypt has been the best month on the race for me and its not just because of the building of the soccer field. It is because the Lord has been speaking to me more clearly than I have ever imagined it to be. He has shown me more about callings, purpose and future than I ever thought which has brought a direction to run in when I get back from the race. It is now trusting Him and His timing for everything and taking step by step as He leads.
We have had time set a side every day for prayer ministry. We each sign up for an hour to pray in the prayer room every day. We also meet corporately as a team and pray for an hour a day too. I have to tell you, it has changed my life!
Our host leads a devotional as he feels led and one day he talked about fasting and how it is an incredible tool to have. From the old testament to the new testament, fasting is something that we can do to win the battle in the spiritual before we win the battle in the physical. God has put it on my heart to fast more constantly to prepare for the future and the plans He has for me as well as to fight for others.
This all has been in an incredible experience and definitely a life changing month. The crazy thing is I would not be in Egypt if it wasn’t for you. Those who gave of their finances and prayed constantly for me! Literally, the biggest prayer request was answered through God opening the door to Egypt and I am so incredibly thankful for all who played a part in making it happen!
The Kingdom is coming let’s continue to PUSH- pray until something happens.
On March 2nd, we will be traveling back to Tbilisi, Georgia and then meeting up with the squad to travel through Azerbaijan and then spend some time in Kazakhstan. We will then only have three countries left before coming back to the United States in the end of June!
If you have any questions for me or something you would like to know more about, please comment below. I would love to answer as much as I can.
