Dear Friends,
Please forgive me for this LONG overdue letter to you. I am home now from a summer that has been just about as busy as the World Race was. I touched base in MA for four days before I left for the month of July to help out at the World Race Gap Year Training Camp followed by my final debriefing of my own race. I spent the majority of August in the car, road tripping from one family reunion to the next. Finally getting to settle down for a short while at home for September.
Prior to my crazy family reunion filled summer, most of you already knew I was overseas with an organization called “Adventures in Missions”. Those nine months where absolutely crazy! Here is a little fill in of what happened in each place that I went to:
Ecuador: Quito (October) Shell (November-December)
In Ecuador my team and I lived in the Amazon Jungle! What!? In a small town called Shell we were blessed to live in a home with a loving family. A handful of us helped them in an orphanage called Casa De Fe. Talk about life changing, those kids sure did melt your heart. The rest of us were involved with street ministry which consisted of driving 20 minutes every Friday to the neighboring town called Puyo. Upon arriving there we would visit the homeless shelter and bring them rice and beans, we would talk to them about the goodness of Jesus Christ and how He can change their lives. Later on we would take to the streets and talk to the local prostitutes, telling them of their true beauty and explaining to them their worth. Encouraging them and telling them all about the Hope that Jesus Christ brings. This was my favorite ministry.
In these first three months of my race the Lord really shaped me and we learned all about our identities. I walked through the never ending trail we call identity. Jesus told me so many things about who I was in His eyes and not just how I thought I saw myself or how others saw me.
India: Assam (January-March)
In India ministry ranged from door to door evangelism to being an English teacher. I was mostly an English teacher. I taught class about the Bible, roman numerals, science… but mostly we worked on our “American accents”.
India tends to be the place most people ask me about. How was the culture? How was the food? How was… how was… how was…? If I am going to be honest, India one hundred percent changed my life the most. Out of all the places we went it was the hardest most painful place I had to live in. It was a very dark and heavy place but it was also the place where I could see everything black and white. I have never grown so much in my life. I have never seen so much suffering but also so much hope and redemption. So many opportunities and so many seeds planted. I saw light where there was only darkness. I felt the pain and the sorrow. I witnessed an entire village hold lit candles into the air after hearing the gospel for the first time. I watched as one of my best friends suffered in an unforgiving hospital while all I could do was sit there and cry with her. I walked so closely with the Lord because I knew that I had to draw my strength from Him in order to continue. India was where I grew the most in my intimacy with the Lord. It was the most painful but most beautiful change I had to make in my life. There were lots of tears, lots of random outbursts because of how crazy we were going but there was also a ton of laughter. India changed my life and I am so thankful for that, would I go back? If that is what the Lord wants for me. Would it be hard?Yes. But, I don’t know where He will lead me so I can’t say “no”.
Africa: Livingstone, Zambia (April-June)
In Africa ministry looked different each day. It ranged from door to door, putting on endless VBS programs, we spoke into the lives of our taxi drivers and taught on occasion.
Getting off the plane in Zambia felt as if a weight had been lifted. Some of you know that I went to Uganda June of 2016 and that just made me even more excited to go back to Africa. It is easily the happiest place I have been. The people are like none you have ever met before. The most hospitable, kind, loving and welcoming bunch you would ever meet. They bring you in as their own and they pour so much life into you.
While in Zambia I was challenged to begin walking into the things that the Lord spoke over me. I started to really put my “new identity” to the test and wear the shoes that God had designed for me. My faith began to change as I did this and so did I. I saw what it really looked like to be the hands and feet of Jesus and not just pretend. I started acting rather than simply speaking. Zambia was named a “Christian Nation” so everyone knows about Jesus. The real question was did they really believe what He did. They didn’t necessarily need to hear all about someone they already knew about, they needed to be shown who he was. I learned about the characteristics of who Jesus was from my housemates and from the people around me. I learned about how to love people well and love them where they were at. To accept them in whatever stage of life they were in.
So… Ecuador: I learned how to give God the reins on my life. India: I learned how to live a Holy Spirit led life. Africa: I learned how to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. These past nine months have been life changing and I would not have been able to do it without the support of everyone back home. I want to thank everyone who gave to me, prayed for me, followed me on my social media, if you were involved in any way big or small I want to thank you all! Without everything that you guys did none of this would have been possible!
Much Love,
Gretta Hoglund
P.S.
Many of you have been asking me the question, what’s next? Well I am so happy to announce that I will be continuing my adventure with AIM by attending their discipleship program, Center for Global Action (CGA). In this program I will be discipled and taught leadership skills and what it takes to possibly lead a World Race Squad in the field. I can not wait to see where the Lord takes me next and I hope you will continue to follow my crazy adventure I call life. I pray peace and blessings over your lives and I can’t wait to jump into the next thing with you all. We are a team after all!
To keep the ball rollin’ on this adventure with CGA and AIM and yours truly 🙂
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