When I left home after my motorcycle accident, I returned more prepared when I originally left for the race. The race is an emotional and spiritual pressure cooker and if you are not ready for it, it will blow up in your face. I was not ready for it, I did not have the right ingredients to make for a successful time or did not use them properly. As a Christian, there is an emphasis to spend time reading the bible and praying so that you can be in tune with what the Lord is telling you. Well, the first 2 and half months of my race, I did not, I was acting with in my own effort and I was worn to the bone. When I came home I got a new bible specifically for the race, a real journal, and my sweet friend Deb bought me a devotional “Streams in the Dessert”. I made a decision before I left, that I was going to make time each day to journal, go through the devotional, and read the bible. This decision transformed my race. Each day I walk into the day ready for what ever laid ahead of us. There was a great increase in great and beautiful days, there were fewer clashes with my team and moment of forgiveness among us all.
My journal cover says, the best way to get something done is to begin. Each day I had to make a decision to begin the day with spending sometime with the Lord and meditating on His words. Each day, it prepared my heart for the intense ministry that our host had prepared for us.
We started the month out with doing Vacation Bible School, we shared the story of Creation, of Moses, Noah, and of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We were welcomed to this slum, and ushered into a tiny building with 35 little faces saying hello, following arriving late because our rickshaw driver got lost. By the end of the first day, we encouraged the kids to bring friends the next day, and then the next day their was 75 kids… we did not invite again… we were out of space! With 75 children and the 7 of us the church was completely full! We sang songs, played games, danced, and taught about our great God!
In the evenings, we would take turns with another team and went to slum housing throughout the city and would pray for various people desperate for a good GREAT hope.
The next week of our time in Bangalore, we went to Shine Children’s Home, and shared the same Vacation Bible School program! In this picture, two of the sweet girls were dancing and singing. Of these children, some were orphans, and some came from extremely poor housing where their parents could not afford to keep them at home any longer. The children, all hung all over us, and adored our time with them! This was a precious group and these children are wise in the word of the Lord, please pray they continue to find their identity in Him!
In the mornings of this week, we were able to work at a hospital for HIV+ and AIDS Patients. Our first day there was sucky, lol, but we were asked to work in a banana tree field and clear out the weeds and dead leaves around the bottom. Then other people came around and said we were doing it wrong. Our team grumbled and were frustrated. Then I was sick the next day, so I stayed home, while home I spent time reading the bible and journaling. I read to be still and KNOW that I am God. He KNOWS that we are at this hospital and had a great plan for us. So, the next day I walked in with a different attitude, we were asked to help with laundry and that is where I met this guy, I have no clue what his name is but I called him Brother because he is a brother in Christ. He welcomed us each day with his radiant smile, and ushered us into ministry each day, joyful for how helpful we were for the hospital! This day, we were gardening and trimming this giant plant in the center of the garden and he was helping me clear the debris away! This was my favorite ministry of this month!
Then we realized that ministry doesn’t stop on your day off! We were at Polar Bear, ice cream shop when a woman and her son came up to us begging for food, we said no and went on with our day. This this cute nugget came up to us and was begging, it took us a while to realize she belonged to the woman who originally came up to us. We originally told this girl no, but Sally, one of my team mates happen to buy this tub of ice cream and so she shared it with this girl! That girl went to town, and when she finished she was glowing and bouncing all over the place! We invited her mother, and the two kids to follow us to a shawarma restaurant. A group of us went in together and bought them dinner. A few days later, I saw this same woman, and instead of begging, she said HI! with a big smile and welcome head bow!
The following of this month was a tough series of events, with some of our squad mates being in a car accident, where 1 of the girls is having to go home. Two other squad mates, quite the race this month. Then 2 days before we left for our 5 country, Nepal, there was one of the Largest earthquakes in Nepal since 1934! So, we got routed to Hyderabad, India, where we stayed for 8 days to transition and debrief the last 3 months.
Tomorrow morning, we head to Nepal, to help with the disaster relief, we don’t know what it will look like. But, the Lord, has prepared us and equipped us for great things and we are ready to get this done! Pray for us as we be helping many!! Love you all! Thank you for following me in this journey!! 11 countries in 11 months!
