Hi Friends!
I am officially in Lesotho, Africa and already in the full swing of things with our ministry!
This month we are partnering with an orphanage called Tholoana ea Lerato, which houses 32 kids ranging from 2-17 years old. We’ve only been doing ministry for 2 days but I can already tell this is going to be the best month yet!
When I learned that we would be partnering with an orphanage, I began wondering about what these kids might be like. I had wondered if they might be more reserved, if it might take a while to warm up to us.
Let me tell you, I’ve never met kids so willing to give you all their love. They have constant smiles. You always have someone holding your hand or sitting in your lap. One of my new little friends is a 2 year old named Seobonga and there is no greater joy for me than when he sees me, lights up the room with his smile, and holds out his arms for a hug or to be held.
Last month in Malaysia was amazing. It was the longest month we’ve had so far and I’ll be honest with you, when last month started, it seemed like it would drag on and on. But as the month drew to a close and we began our journey to Africa, I realized how much of an impact it made on me.
It was the first time my team was completely alone. We learned how to live as a community, and how to love each other well even through the tough conversations.
Malaysia was a month of revelation from the Lord, the biggest one being the difference between isolation and solitude.
When Month 3 started, I began praying over me and my teammates that even in the hard times, that we would never isolate ourselves. That we wouldn’t retreat into the things that feed our flesh, such as Netflix, social media, or even constantly talking to our families. I began praying that we would instead find solitude; the solitude that comes from finding rest in the Lord.
Even though this was something that I was acutely aware of, I still felt like I didn’t do a great job in finding rest in the Lord. Even though it was something I prayed over and over, I still felt like the time I was spending with the Lord wasn’t good enough.
More often than not, my quiet time would be spent listening to worship music, drawing, or reading The Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers (read it! It was amazing!). Reading my bible and just spending time alone with the Lord was more of an addition rather than the main event.
My team and I were super fortunate to get a couple days off for Christmas so we took the opportunity to go to Langkawi Island. It was so rejuvenating to be able to just sit on the beach and bask in the sun. I thought Christmas would be a really sad time since I was away from family, but it ended up being such a special time of rest and remembering the reason we celebrate.
On Christmas night, my team and I were out on the beach and I decided that I wanted to go ahead and go back to the hostel. I got back to the hostel by myself, laid down, and realized “Wait, is this bad? Should I probably be with my friends on Christmas? Is it bad I want to be alone?”
And I just felt the Lord saying, “No, dear one. You are not alone. You never will be alone. This is solitude. This is abiding. This is letting yourself decrease, so I can increase.”
And so I sat.
Alone.
But not alone at all.
Fundraising update!
Thanks to all of your generous donations I am only $871 away from being FULLY funded!
Praise the Lord!
My final deadline is January 31st so if you have been wanting to give, now is the time to do so!
Thank you so much!
