I haven’t really been able to deliver on some pics in my blog until now, so here’s a look at some of the activity that’s gone down this year. I want you to celebrate all the work that God has done in and through me, and also a look at the fun He has allowed me to have (mission work isn’t dull and boring). Thanks for your prayers and I hope you realize that you are as much a part of all this as I am.
Ukraine
This month we have taught English at a language school and helped build relationships in hopes of sharing the gospel. Many of us have gotten to hang out with some of our students (we are famous American celebrities in their eyes). We also have helped out at an orphanage on Saturdays, and had fellowship with friends from local churches in the city. The Anglican church dominates the country, but is far away from what a true church should look like, so we are trying to breathe in that extra life and spirit into these people. We’ve also got to go bowling and to a circus, so life isn’t all too bad.
Swaziland
Maybe my favorite month of ministry. Lived in beautiful mountains at an orphanage and got to love on about 60 amazing kids. There were a couple that absolutely grabbed my heart and broke it in a great way. Also, we got our manual labor on, renovating their pig pens, building drainage pipe, and repairing burnt-down fences. Fortunately, we survived the wildfire scares. Also, we got to help with financial receipts, painted a mural, reorganized storage room, among many other things. Also, I got to go to take a safari at Kruger Park in South Africa, where we saw 4 (rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion) out of the big 5 game (missed the leopard).
Memorable night: When we were praise and worshipping on a rock at night, overlooking a wildfire continually burn the mountainside next to ours. Naturally, we started singing All Consuming Fire.
Mozambique
Got to work with Iris ministries. Not a busy schedule this month and ministry lagged a tad, but we still got to do some hospital visits, evangelized in local village, lots of prayer for sick, helped conduct a program for about 200 widows (message, prayer, and food distribution). We held a 24 hour prayer night (designate a room for prayer, worship, and prophesy). We got to attend opening night of a major Christian conference. A lot of our “ministry” was within the actual Iris and helping out the staff in whatever way we could.
P.S. – Thank you God for Chelsea Hughes and Lauren Black, who completely dominate in the kitchen.
South Africa
We were in a beautiful little backpacker town in Coffee Bay, and it was GORGEOUS. Seriously, we were right on the coast and I’ve never seen waves so big come crashing down. You could see whales jumping in the distance in the middle of our church service. We actually stayed in our tents at a campground for backpackers. Our ministry was soccer and surfing for the local village kids, and at the end of the month we got to baptize about 25 kids.
We had 4 teams together, plus each team hosted 2 ‘real lifers’, who were younger and just on a one month mission trip. I got attacked and bit by dogs, experienced some of the most beautiful scenery of my life, learned to play some drums, worshipped almost every morning, and in the end we got to lead some kiddos to Christ. Worth it, completely.
Nepal
Feels like forever ago now. We started with home visits in the city, but this quickly turned into our most remote and ‘roughing it’ month. Little to no electricity and oftentimes bathing in the river or at the well. Let’s be clear, I loved this month. It was my first as a leader, and not an easy one, but we held our own in the village mountains of Nepal. It was hot, humid, and manually intensive, but a lot of work was accomplished.
Village 1 – We helped with a baptism program for a small local church
Village 2 – We were put completely in charge of constructing a bathroom for a future church. Including design, materials, labor, etc. Very hot and hard mixing cement. We witnessed a man nearly get beaten to death.
Insert *** 5 hour hike up and down huge mountains with our big packs to get to the next village
Village 3 – Lauren helped design a school for a remote village. The school will probably take about 3 years to construct, but we helped get it going. Children have to walk 2 hours there and 2 hours back, and also have to cross a giant river, where some have even drowned.
I also got to go whitewater rafting with some of the other leaders, where everyone flipped out but me somehow.
