1.) Church isn’t for the people that have it all together. It’s for the broken, hurting and sick people. You don’t have to wear a suit and tie. He just wants you and your heart. He wants to meet you where you are at. That’s something I learned from La Red Church in Month 10 (El Salvador) We stayed at La Red which originally was a surfer church; a place where local surfers could come and feel like they are welcomed in the church. Slowly surfers would bring their wives and then children and it turned into a family church. I loved how they tailored it to surfers and their families. People that probably don’t have a suit or tie. They would just come straight from the ocean and want to worship God. How awesome and beautiful that is!
2.) Straight out of my journal: Joy. I grew in lots of joy. People told me that they noticed me being lighthearted. I had a lightness about myself. I have recognized that I am a daughter of the King and have a lot to be joyful about. I can be more myself. I am sure of myself and direct with what I what, need, think or desire. My feelings are valid and I have a voice.
3.) I saw what true discipleship looks like. Our hosts Andrea and Josh were incredibly kind and invited us into their home many times. We enjoyed getting to know them over many dinners, movie nights and fun times by the pool. Andrea really pursued us and made us feel loved. We had weekly devos and times were Andrea would come over and we would worship and get asked some hard, but good convicting questions. Truth was spoken and she listened and encouraged us when it was needed. I genuinely loved my time spent with Andrea, Josh and their family.
4.) I embraced scary things! I went out and learned how to surf in the big waves of El Tunco, jumped into a waterfall and continued to push myself to give messages in front of people. I have done a lot of big things this year, things that were scary in the moment, but if there’s one thing I have learned this year is to kick fear in the face!! (Thank you @Krista Jenkins)
5.) I continued to push myself to sign up for things that are not in my skill set or interests. For example, this month we would go over to an orphanage and hang out with the girls there. We planned ice breaker games, worship, a message, and a craft. The last day my teammate Bri and I decided to sign up for the craft; even though that’s not our area of expertise. It ended up being really fun and a success! Over the course of this year I have learned how to be a team player and to do things that you may not want to do, but it’s for God, your team and the people you are ministering to.
6.) I was reminded of Gods love and sovereignty by my beautiful friends Carito, Fabi and Carolina Hornor. They live in El Salvador and from the moment they heard I was coming they were nothing but kind and hospitable. They always made sure I was safe and had what I needed. I loved getting to spend time with Carito and Fabi and see all that God is doing in their life. Praising and thanking Him for God given life-long friendships!
7.) Nicaragua was a beautiful month of community and our pursuit of the Lord. Our hosts Scott and Jen Esposito were so kind and intentional. They wanted this month to be a time where we got to rest and be filled up; but also a time where we could finish our race strong. They had everyone get up at 6am so that way we could start forming that habit of getting up early and spending time in Gods presence. Even though it was hard for me in the beginning, I loved my time with God in the morning and cherished the time I got to sit on that huge wrap around porch spending time with Him.
8.) I learned the proper way to cut grass with a machete and how to dig up a trench! Haha never too late to learn;)
9.) I got burnt out half way through month 11. It was rough and hard to admit to my team, but I did. I owned my feelings in that moment and opened up to FUEGO about how I feel overwhelmed and worn out. I hit a wall and ministry was hard. My mindset was not in the right place and I needed an extra pep in my step. What I learned though was that my feelings were valid and it was okay that I felt worn out, but I needed to make sure to ask God for help. I need to take that step and ask God what was it going to take for me to not feel burnt out and for me to finish the race strong. I didn’t just want to feel numb the rest of the race; I learned how to fight and embrace every second, even if it was not fun in the moment – overall in the long run it’s worth it!!
10.) I was reminded of my humanity this month. One day during evangelism my team and I went to a house to pray with the family. Two of the sons of the family got mixed up into some witch craft and they have never been the same. I felt like God was wanting me to pray over one of the boys, so I did. I prayed over spirits of infirmity and witchcraft and asked for God to bring freedom and breakthrough into his life. When finished, I realized that in my earthly eyes nothing had changed; he was the exact same. I honestly got extremely discouraged and upset when we walked away to another house. I felt like I just stepped out in boldness and then God left me hanging, but I truly know that wasn’t true at all. My teammate Amanda helped me process and spoke truth into me and the situation. I was reminded that I am just a vessel. He wants us to be willing and obedient. He just wants us to say yes and HE will do the rest; not me, HIM. God is the one who is able to heal and cast out demons, we are just to be obedient, pray, and speak His truth into those dark situations. I was putting all the power on myself and then got discouraged when I didn’t see results, when in reality healing and breakthrough can happen at any time. It may even be working and happening in him right now! That prayer could have knocked down a few of those walls or strongholds in Him; I can’t be discouraged when my earthly eyes fail me. God is bigger than what we can see. My act of obedience may not have even been for the boy, it could be for his mom. It could be a prayer that encourages and empowers the mom to keep fighting and praying for her children. A prayer to give someone hope and show that God is still good and will come through for them. A prayer, even if it’s awkward, can move mountains.
11.) I did the thing. Y’all, it was a long, hard but AMAZING year! A life changing year. One year that of my life that I will always remember and always cherish. The people. The places. The moments where God showed up and blew our minds. The hard times and the good times. There are no words to explain my year and all the things I learned along the way. I sure will try though so stayed tuned for a final blog on what I learned while on the World Race!:)
