11 months of…
-denying myself (my wants, desires) and taking up my cross daily ( jesus’ wants, desires)
-saying “yes” to God and stepping out of my comfort
-asking God for things and trusting that He will provide
-walking through grief and things I didn’t want to face
-building raw genuine friendships with the people on my squad
-experiencing different cultures, religions, food & water
-heading peoples’ stories and sharing God or seeing Him within them
-seeing poverty and oppression
-manual labor, teaching, praying, painting, planting, singing, dancing, feeding, worshipping and fellowship with people around the world
-redefining what love is & what ministry means
-vulnerability and deepened trust & expectation from the Lord
-miracles, salvations, and joy unexplained
-building friendships with my host families and locals & goodbyes
-stretching the box that I put God and worship in
-experiencing church in a real, authentic, whole way
-growth in understanding of God’s character, strength, depth and closeness
-languages, handshakes, dances, & songs
-busy loud city living to quiet deserted village living
-difficult conversations, confrontation and speaking hard truths in love over one another
-constant change and growth
-forming my identity in the kingdom as a daughter capable of far more than I give myself credit for
-tears in loss and laughter in celebrating victories in each other’s lives
-conquering fears and empowering others to do the same
-breathtaking views of star blanketed skies and sunrises and sunsets
-transportation via car, bus, train, tap tap, tuck tuck, plane, taxi, Uber
-a place to call home
-realizing how alike we as humans are
-feeling God’s love through others’ words and actions
-transforming my view of Christianity and God’s expectations of me
-adventures and fun that I will cherish for forever
-mountain and ocean views to admire
-transforming my view of hospitality and seeing how quick people of other cultures are to make you feel welcomed and loved
-being interruptible to those around me and stopping to smile and acknowledge everyone around me (yes you have time in your busy schedule to talk/ help people)
-seeing food as a love language and a thing that rallies people together
-learning new worship songs, scripture & genuinely enjoying reading (hello Harry Potter)
-playing new & old games & sports
-enjoy life in the simplicity & also in the chaotic busy
-being treated like family from complete strangers
-holding babies, playing with kiddos, & speaking truth over them
-being approached by strangers simply because I’m not speaking their language or because of the color of my skin
-selfies with locals that treat us like celebrities
-shopping in crazy street markets, corner stores, malls & learning how to barter & negotiate prices
-stories and experiences that honestly you just had to be there to get the whole picture
-weird injuries, sickness and witnessed healings
-street pups and cats
I cannot thank everyone enough for supporting me this past year! You made so many things happen
I’m about to get to the airport for my last few travel days! ahhh
