Alrighty,
Here’s the dealio. The Lord did some amazing work over the last six months on the field in my heart, in the hearts of my squad, Gap Y, and in the hearts of our ministries. I have collected testimonies from each team on the squad and will be posting them to share just a glimpse of how the Lord moved, not just through me, but through the squad’s eyes as a whole and through the ministries they worked with. To my supporters, I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to be a part of this walk with Gap Y, and to see the movement of the Lord’s Spirit through them all first-hand. Thank you for you obedience in giving, your prayers, and your support! I love you all so so much!
Team Selah was a down to earth team full of women dedicated to serving gently in love for the Christ. They are powerful Kingdom-carriers who call out identity and seek the heart of the Father in everything they do. Here are their testimonies:
“One day in Thailand, I traveled to the “floating temples” which are pagodas at the very top of a mountain. As I sat at the very top temple, I listened to lyrics that sang “we can lift our hands to Heaven, full of faith, ’cause every time we worship, we see Your face”. I became so thankful for the access we have to our Maker. He never fails to meet us where we are. No offerings necessary, no idols, no non-responsive worship. Instead, we can look at His face and hear His voice. This hit me almost as if I was realizing for the first time that He is closer than our own skin. But at the same time, I was surrounded by Buddhists who climbed this mountain, not just to see the beauty, but to come bow before an idol. Not to meet a living Savior, but instead a statue of gold. This moved me to pray a prayer so bold, that one day all of Thailand will be bowing not before idols, but before the feet of Jesus! I asked God to show me something so that I could know that He was hearing my prayers and was seeing me exactly where I am, sitting at the tip of a mountain, seeming ever so small. Soon enough He puts a rainbow in the middle of the sunny sky (rainbows are a way that the Lord often speaks to me)!!! to remind me of His promises: that the day will still come where every tongue and every tribe will worship our Father! The battle is still being fought, but He already has the victory! Thank you Jesus for speaking! tThank you Jesus for eyes opened, for fresh perspective!
-Caroline Knudsen
“How is it that every time I go oversees and expect to help people I end up being the one changed? When I started the world race I was in a season that felt very unstable. I felt like my walk with the Lord was more like a rollercoaster and I didn’t know how to get it more steady. I was drained and discouraged. Then at training camp, the Lord gave my team leader a picture for me. It was a evergreen tree growing with its roots firmly planted in the ground. The word that He paired with the picture was SUSTAIN. He said that in the season of the world race He would show me what it looks like to have a sustained relationship with Him, one that will carry me into the rest of my life. And that’s exactly what He walked me through on the race. He walked me through the importance of choosing to love myself and what that actually looks like. He revealed more of His character and what that looked like in relation to who I am and how He loves me. He showed me the real raw freedom that He bought for me and how because of that I can walk in confidence, His confidence. And lastly, He showed me that when you begin to live like that, you will be living in obedience and when we choose to do that boldly the Spirit moves in big ways. And now that I am home, I am even more sure that He established a sustained relationship with me on the race. It doesn’t always feel like it, but I know the Lord is always right beside me holding my hand every step of the way.”
-Kenni Edwards
“I have always felt like I’m unable to teach anyone anything, especially something about God. What I mean is, that I feel like I can’t teach them something that they don’t already know. I don’t really think that I can know something or understand something “better” than someone else. That word “better” just makes me feel like I might be acting “mightier than thee”, so I stay quiet. I can’t help that feeling which makes it harder for me to speak up or even think about talking in front of others (it makes it hard to write blogs too). My point of this is, I’m not the type of person that stands up in front of others and gives a teaching. I’m the one that is sitting near the front and taking notes with my colorful pens. I’m the one that likes to seek knowledge from others because I don’t have it myself to give. God wanted to teach me something new. He guided me and ended up having me give a teaching at a house church in Malaysia. Not only that, but later had me give a teaching in front of my entire squad!! You know the cliche verse “I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Well, God kinda showed me what that looks like. He gave me strength and He gave me courage. He showed me that I can teach. The thing that was holding me back was me! I just had to be willing to be used by Him and also learn that making mistakes is okay. He is the protector! He uses everything for His good. For His plans.”
-Hannah Asher
“Before the race, I never talked to anyone about anything or allowed myself to process things. At training camp, the Lord told me He was going to grow me in vulnerability, and that promise stood strong. Throughout the race I learned what it looks like to talk through things and the importance of being vulnerable with others. I knew the importance of sharing things with the Lord, but He wanted to show me the importance of being open with those around me and the impact this has.”
-Heather Stewart
“These last six months have been unforgettable and have change my life forever. It is in this time that the Lord taught me what true authentic community is and what a game changer that is in the faith. I’ve learned the power and love and that true friendship and love is saying the hard things, is listening, is hugging, is putting yourself last, and what happens in our hearts and our lives when we put Jesus first. Jesus has taught me how perfect love casts out all fear. He has taught me that I can lean on him and depend on him in all things with all things. I have learned what it means to let go and heal from the past by learning the true meaning of forgiveness. I have learned that beauty is not vanity and that I am beautiful and worthy not because of how I look but because of my heart; I’ve been paid for with the highest price and that never changes. I’ve learned that life is much better when the world doesn’t revolve around me. I’ve learned that relationships are hard work but so worth it how valuable they are. I’ve learned my words and my identity don’t come from who is around me and what they say about me but what my creator says about me. I fell in love with Jesus and in a way I never knew possible; he became real to me in a way I never dreamt. Truly I’ve been made new and made whole and it’s because of Jesus.”
-Avery Mumm
“Something the Lord taught me on the race was that even when I don’t feel good, He is still good. Since coming home from the field, I FEEL a lot less fruitful and productive than I did in the last season. Although I FEEL this way, the Lord is the same. He reminds me to refer back to the scripture hidden in my heart and go to the storehouse of truth. The storehouse he has given me is full of times when he has fulfilled his promises and remained faithful. When I don’t FEEL good, I go to the storehouse and KNOW that He is good.”
-Samantha Putnam
“This isn’t really a testimony, but it’s what the Lord put on my heart. ‘Don’t be afraid of tomorrow. God is already there.’ Not knowing sucks, but if I did know all things how would my life really be? If I had to guess it would be numb, lifeless, and pointless. I would already know what’s going to happen, so would I have hope? Because running to God is hope. So I would still have the bad with no choice of obtaining hope. I can’t pick and choose, and I can’t skip steps. I can’t expect God to only tell me what I want to hear. I have to have patience. I have to have faith. If I were told everything that’s going to happen in my life, I would be fixated on the negative. I would be focused on the tragedies just trying to prevent them. So tell me why I so badly want to be warned? If I were warned about having been mistreated in the past, it wouldn’t have changed anything except the quality of life I would have lived thinking about when it was going to happen. I would be robbed from joy, and blinded from the positive. But if I were clinging to God and trusting him through the unknown, then I would have the chance to take my pain to him. I would be capable of being joyful. So why do I create worry from wondering of my future? When I could just be where my feet are planted?”
-Lily Hambrick
TEAM SELAH
Front row, left to right: Heather Stewart, Avery Mumm, Kenni Edwards, and Caroline Knudsen.
Back row, left to right: Lily Hambrick, Samantha Putnam, and Hannah Asher.
