This is the first installment of the 11in11 series! I’m recapping the last 11 months over 11 weeks (just about when I’ll be state-side!) by sharing a word I chose for each country and why.
Spain: Submission
(8/8–18 Camino, 8/19-8/22 Mijas)
Oh, El Camino de Santiago! I can still remember the feeling of waking up early after a good night’s sleep in our first albergue in Pamplona. Quickly deciding what to bring with me in my daypack (TOO much) and what do send ahead in my big pack (should have sent everything). We— my team and I — started this journey with little to no idea what really lied ahead (other than about 180km of Spanish roadside). Check out a blog I wrote about the Camino here.
The Camino ended up not only being a chance to process the huge change that was about to take place in our lives, but also a chance to lay a foundation for our team. Yes, this was “DOTL’s” (Team name, Daughters of the Light) first chance to be a team.
I chose the word “submission” for Spain because so much of the trek for me was spent thinking of all the ways I wasn’t ready, wasn’t equip, wasn’t able— wasn’t bold enough to start a conversation. Wasn’t brave enough to follow through. Wasn’t knowledgeable enough to share about what God meant to me. That my story wasn’t consequential enough to really matter to people. (I would’ve never actually said this in the moment, of course, but hindsight is 20/20…) These were the lies I believed. That is, until God began to break me down, piece by piece. He asked me to submit. To knowingly put myself into situations I couldn’t handle, so that he could show me his faithfulness. To admit when I was completely depleted so that he could show his provision. And to open up to my team, so he could show me how “the body” works (Ephesians 4:25). By the time we got to Burgos, God had blown my mind in so many ways. I had shared miles and meals with people from all over the world, built friendships from shared stories, and was already beginning to see what could be possible when I was willing to let go of my own agenda, fears and pride, to submit. After the Camino, we spent a short time in Mijas, our first time living together as a squad. We explored, prayed, ate, dreamt, and shared stories of the Camino together and planned for our next stop: Morocco.
Morocco: Obedience
(8/22-10/12)
We took a ferry from Tarifa, Spain, to Tangier, Morocco. This was NOT my favorite day of the race. But funny enough, looking back, I’m so grateful for that experience. I remember the looks on all of our faces as we sat on the roof of our hostel, looking out over this unfamiliar country, best to “stay cool” as we searched for accommodations, unsure of where we would stay the next night, much less the next month. Little did we know how normal that would become. How many times God would provide a home, a guide, a bus, a train, food, water, even WiFi, over and over and over again.
Our home in Morocco was where I feel like DOTL really became a team. It was about 50 days of intensive training for the rest of our lives. (Here’s a fangirl blog I wrote about these fabulous ladies as I was just getting to know them!)
It was here we learned how to function within community like we had never experienced it before. It was here we sought hard after unity and learned the miraculous power of prayer. It was here that we learned how to respond to situations from bartering with a taxi to encounters with the secret police. And it was here that God began showing me his heart for the Arab people and culture. We experienced so much kindness and hospitality from the people and families we encountered that there was no way we could walk away unchanged. But we also experienced the heaviness of poverty, hopelessness and corruption that were tangible as we walked the streets. This is where my choice word for this country comes to play: obedience.
I was as stubborn as an ox in Morocco. I would beg and argue with the Lord to not ask me to talk to this person, or pray for that person (even if it was my own team!). I would hope that I could simply get to where I was going without having any promptings or noticing anything that would cause me to have to do something uncomfortable (backwards, right?). But continually he was teaching me through heart-pounding moments (like this one). God is patient. He would’ve had every right to send me home saying “this isn’t what I sent you here for!” But instead he allowed me to continue to learn obedience— to do what I know the Bible says to do, listen to his voice and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And I’m still learning. But man, was Morocco an education!
We ended up making the sweetest friendships by taking the craziest leads from the Lord. We saw healing happen for the first time as a team. We got to be part of an international church, hosting a women’s event where we saw God move powerfully. We were able to teach international students about business interviews, CVs, and confidence. We were growing in love and trust for each other and the Lord all at the same time. He was laying foundations.
We spent a little time exploring in Marrakech, and the Atlas Mountains, and spent our first debrief with the squad in Sidi Kaouki, a gorgeous little beach town, famous for its surfing. I won’t say a ton about debrief now, as this blog is long enough already. But I will say that God used everything that had been happening the last two months to wreck me. To anyone who is reading this that doesn’t know God personally, he does this sometimes, and while it may sound cruel or harsh… in truth- being stripped of false securities, lies you’ve believed about yourself, God, and others… it’s actually worth it in the end. Yeah, it feels like torture at the time, maybe even for a little while after. But when he starts to show you what he has for you instead, dang, it’s so worth everything. I’ll explain more next Friday when I share with you a little about the next month in Cyprus.
Thanks so much for reflecting with me! Feel free to comment or ask questions below! I ask for your prayers as my current team and I are in Central Asia!
