Coming into month two we had pretty high expectations. Month one for our team was pretty great but because we didn’t know any different, we thought it could have been better. This month has been a real challenge for our team in a couple different ways.
First let me rewind. In between month one and month two, we has our first squad debrief. It was legit. So great to spend a few days hanging out with some friends that experienced similar things month one. We had some great sessions that helped me figure out how to become closer to my true self and what I needed to do to take the next step in faith this month. I found myself at an intersection. I could either keep going on this path being comfortable with the way the race was going or take the turn. Take the path that might be scary and unknown but make the decision to step out in faith towards the awesome things God has planned for me this year. To not let the fear of stepping out be a thing. To walk fully by faith with the one who brought me here. One exercise we did as a squad was throwing a rock of what we were going to leave behind into the lake. So I left the fear of stepping out and speaking up. Im learning that it’s not something that happens overnight but with little steps it will become natural. So debrief was a great week of change and challenge for my race.
And we had some good solid fun. (That’s really important)
Coming into month two in Rwanda we all had pretty high expectations. Having been so filled up at debrief, I was all fired up.
But.. Little did I know… God had a different idea for this month than I did. He doesn’t want us to compare our hosts and ministry because each place, each country, each ministry is going to look a lot different. Which is great when you really think about it. I think about how boring this trip would be if all our hosts were the same and ministry was always the same.
So here’s the scoop. This month our hosts name is Pastor Robert. He is really nice. He has a great laugh and truly wants the best for us. He’s married to Regina and they have 4 girls but 3 of them are moved out and married. There are about 7 other people living here with us. (When I say about, I mean I see new people all the time) They are Pastor Roberts nieces and nephews and cousins that he’s taken in so that they can go to school here. Our sleeping arrangements are pretty great. And they cook really great meals for us. For ministry we walk up one side of the mountain to the main road where we catch a public bus (looks like our busses at home) We then ride the bus for about 20 minutes. When we get off at our stop we then walk down the mountain side road to the bottom of the mountain to only then walk up another mountain side. Once we get about half way up the mountain we reach the community where Pastor Roberts church is located. We have been doing door to door ministry there. It usually looks like us arriving at a house and all the surrounding neighbours coming to hear what we have to say. We share what’s on our hearts and our testimonies, then Pastor Robert takes it from there. We pray with them and move onto the next place. We only do that for one to two hours in the afternoons. Our other ministry is preaching at his church. Our team has decided that we would each take a turn at each church. So last month Dylan and Ashley preached. This month Billy started us off and then it was my turn! Yep. You read it right. I preached. That’s a big deal for me these days. Ok let me explain. Since I’ve been on the race I’ve been having a really hard time finding my voice and speaking out. The fear of being rejected or not feeling like I’m smart enough to contribute has been my struggle. I know God is working in me through it and I’ve noticed huge improvement this month in it but it’s something that God is refining in me. So to get up and preach was a big deal. But I was able to stand up there with compete peace knowing that I wasn’t doing it for the pastor, or my team or the people sitting there, I was doing it for God. My prayer leading up to it was that he would use me as a vessel to speak to at least one person. Forty minutes later I had overcome one of my biggest fears coming on the race. And I give all the credit to God because without him.. I couldn’t have done it. I know it won’t be the last and I look forward to seeing what God wants to speak through me next time.
“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
??James? ?1:2-4? ?MSG??
Another challenge this month for our team has been bed bugs. Yep. It sucked, but it happens and at one point I had so many bites that it looked like I had chicken pox.. But there’s a heck of a lot worse things that could have happened so, even though we had to spend two nights at another teams host house, we grew closer as a team through it. Wearing the same clothes for a few days together, scratching each other where you can’t reach on your own, and choosing to laugh about it instead of crying was a great bonding experience.
This month we have been blessed to be close to some of the other teams here in the city. It’s been awesome being able to spend time together on off days and join in on other teams ministry. Not having a lot of planned ministry this month has also given me a new outlook on what ministry can be. It’s not always the scheduled program that our host has planned, it can be giving hugs to the precious little kids on the street or blessing Eric with his little popcorn business on the street corner, or saying hello to the people in our little community every time we pass by. I’ve been learning that being the light doesn’t always require saying something. When we walk around here, (we do look different in the first place) we have something inside of us that radiates and shines brighter that we think. And knowing all the things God has done for us, being a little light in a dark ace is the lease I can do. These people have experienced some crazy things in the last 21 years. Learning to trust people again after such a terrifying time in their life can be really difficult, but God has us here to be the light in their lives and help some of them find joy again.
As I reflect on this month, I feel like I’ve grown as an individual and we’ve grown as a team. There have been some scary moments where we’ve had no choice but to fully trust that God is for us and not against is and fully rely on his protection for our lives. And there have been so many moments to celebrate how great God is and how thankful I am to have this life changing experience. God never said it was going to be easy.. But he did say he will be with us all the way through it.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
??Romans? ?15:13? ?NIV
I’m beyond thankful for all of you who have been constantly lifting me up in prayer. When I start to think about missing home, I’m quickly reminded of the huge support team I have lifting me up constantly and it helps give me that boost to keep on going. So Thankyou 🙂
Prayer requests:
– This next month I am going with one of the two teams are going to Kenya to try out a new ministry contact for Adventures in Missions and I’m so excited and so nervous at the same time. And the rest of our squad will be going to Ethiopia.
– God has some more work to do in me still, so prayer that my heart would be open and willing to change to become my truer self, the best me I can be, the one he created me to be.
– Continued safety in this new place.
I’m not sure what the internet situation will be like this month but I’d love to hear from you! The best way to contact me is either iMessage or Facebook message or my email is working now:) ([email protected])
Thanks for reading!!
Until next time!
Xo
