For month 1 in Panama, we were blessed to be taken in by such a joyful, Spirit filled, loving, family. Among this amazing family, we were also blessed with a guy named, Tony who we worked alongside of. He started out as our host connection/translator but quickly became a friend/honorary racer. One of the many takeaways he bestowed upon us was the PB to J ratio and The 3 Word Testimony.
The 3 Word Testimony is a way to share your testimony by only using 3 words. Tony shared his with us on one of the first few days of being in Panama which was so inspiring and I personally felt like mine was exactly like his so when he invited us to come up with our own, it took me a while to figure mine out. Conveniently enough, God revealed them to me only 20 minutes after leaving Panama (lo siento, Tony) but maybe God’s timing intended for that to happen so I could get vulnerable with a blog and share it with all of you! So here goes!!
Scattered:
Most of my life I have felt very scattered, I was living a sinful life far from Christ for a very long time. I discarded my self-worth and how God created me and I was consumed by it for so long that I eventually used self medication/destruction to cope from feeling the guilt or pain which only spiraled into greater guilt and pain. I felt so scattered, not only emotionally but spiritually, I was all over the place as well.
Collected:
God redeemed me by picking me up out of my shame and reminded me of who He is, how much He loves me, and the plans He has for me. He did this by placing certain people in my life at certain times, and it has made all the difference. The Holy Spirit flooded my heart and the Lord showed me the goodness He’s provided in my life and began to flip my mindset of my circumstances, resentment, and guilt, into grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Recycled:
He is recycling my past, to testify how far He has brought me and how much He has poured into me and grown me. I wouldn’t be here, on The Race, experiencing this incredible opportunity that so few get to experience if it wasn’t His intention. It amazes me daily how much He is constantly refining me for personal growth but also for Kingdom growth.
Towards the end of month 1, my team and I were doing a bible study/devotional together on pride. One piece of scripture that really resonated with me during this was Jeremiah 18:4-6 which says:
But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
That’s God’s intention with all of us. He wants to use the good, the bad, the ugly, the pretty, the wonderful, the terrible, the amazing, and the tragic. He wants to use it all, to shape us as what seems best to Him for His Glory!
**Update about Month 2!!!!!!**
We have been in Costa Rica for a little over a week now and man, it has been so awesome!! From September 4th-9th we were in the middle of “debrief” which is a time of relaxation and recharging for our entire squad of 34 people. Our Squad Mentor and Coaches also fly in and we have two sessions a day as well as some squad led worship nights, team debriefs, and one on ones with our leaders. It was a much needed time to recoup and prepare for month two ministry.
We have been at our ministry sight for a few days now, meeting the leaders of the ministry, getting settled into our new base, and finding out our new ministry assignments!! We will be doing a variety of things here for Oceans Edge ministry and I’m so flippin pumped, y’all!! Our first day here we did an entire squad prayer where we prayed for the 600 some businesses here in Jaco. On top of that, some of us our babysitting, painting murals, building a tire playground for an impoverished community, and helping businesses with marketing needs. We will also be working in soup kitchens, ministering to prostitutes, and helping with Sunday School and Youth.
Clearly a good bit is on our plate for month 2 but WOW how exciting does all of that sound!? The Lord is going to stretch us in so many different ways and grow us so much not only individually but as teams and a squad!!
I’m so pumped to share with you guys how God is moving here in Jaco!!!
Thanks for keeping up with this incredible journey!! You have no idea how much I’m loving this experience but how much more I love sharing it with all of you!!!
LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!
