Emily and I sit under shady trees in front of a closed hotel. We look around; there’s not a lot of activity. It looks like a local school has recently let out as some students ride by on bicycles. Each time they pass by, they look at us curiously. I don’t blame them. Here we are, two backpackers with 10 bags tossed into a disarrayed pile, hanging out in a parking lot. Thoughts are racing through my mind. Where are we going to sleep tonight? What does God have for us this week?
Leaving Suriname was one giant step of faith into the unknown. The first two months on the Race, we had ministry contacts and confirmed places to stay. Heading into French Guiana, we didn’t have much of a plan. Armed with words and pictures received during ATL (Ask the Lord) time, we settled on Kourou as the town to start in.
Upon arrival we split up, Em and I watching the bags and the others going door-to-door for two hours in the hot sun, hoping to find a place to stay. This is what it looks like to pioneer for World Race in a country no Racer has ever been to before.
Well, God is a good Father who provides for His daughters.
Four hours later our team is sitting around a table on the front patio of a beautiful home with a side apartment completely furnished with air conditioning. We’re staring at a pool as we enjoy a home-cooked meal with our new host family.
With lodging secured, the next step over the next few days was to look for contacts for teams in the future. The tricky thing is that there is no formula on how to do this. For us, it meant living life with intentionality, praying and asking God to make a way as we went out into the community and did everyday things.
When you give space for God to move, He does. One day stands out in particular when Anouk, Emily and I decided to hit the streets one morning. Before leaving, I asked God to open doors and highlight people by having them approach us first. In a country where no one really talked to us, this seemed like a tall order.
Well God is active and loves to show off.
While walking, a young woman approached us for directions to the market. As we walked together, we learned that she is a teacher and had connections in education. Score!
Shortly after, our small group Bible teacher from church on Sunday stopped us as he drove by. Since we were walking the wrong way, we piled into his car and let him drive us to the desired market. On the way, we learned about his mom’s recent illness and asked if we could go and pray for her. He agreed, so we dropped off our new acquaintance and headed to his house. We talked, prayed and sung with her and got to know her a little better. It turned out that she runs a Catholic charity with various programs similar to Salvation Army. Meeting this woman felt like hitting ministry gold. It’s funny that I was surprised at how God opened up the doors just how we asked Him to not just once.
It has been an awesome week in France talking with strangers, cooking at the church, doing Bible studies at the beach, and praying together as a team. Although pioneering has very little structure that can be overwhelming, it’s amazing to see what God does when you simply walk out relationship with Him. Ministry could look like praying for strangers or pouring into your teammates. Ultimately, life on the Race is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be good!
//
Praise report!! I am almost 100% funded! This is so awesome. Thank you to all my supporters who have partnered with me on this journey. We are in Brasil now about to head down the Amazon River! Look forward to reading about life in the rainforest soon!
