Dear family, friends, and supporters
I miss you all! I thank God so much for having such wonderful people in my life that it make me sad to leave you. I pray you are all well and that you will have much to tell me following my return! Thank you all for supporting me– not one encouraging word, prayer, or gift has been unnoticed. Without the overwhelming support from you, I would not be able to experience all that I have!
Here’s how my journey has been so far:::
Week 1: Travel
My squad was unable to catch our first flight out of Atlanta on Monday, September 8th because of hurricane Irma, so a nearby church graciously hosted my entire squad for 2 nights on their campus. Through that experience we all learned the virtue of patience, how to entertain 40 people in one room for 2 days, how to buy groceries on a limited budget, and how to value and be considerate of each other in such an emotionally stressful time. The disappointment of not being able to launch immediately on our journey, lingered with us and presented challenges to us through the course of the week.
Thankfully, that Tuesday night my team of 6 and I were told that we would be leaving the church in the morning by ourselves to catch our first bus to the DC airport. Then we would finally be on our first international flight! The next morning we left the church at 6am and experienced a full day and a half of buses, subways, walking, and sleeping in an airport. Phew! We survived, team!!
On Wednesday our first layover was in Panama before our flight to the Colombia– the first country of ministry!
Those travel days have taught me what it truly takes to find joy in EVERY situation. Over and over I was tested with not having enough to eat, literally no sleep, not being able to exercise, no showers, language barriers, international customs procedures, and complete and total emotional exhaustion. The only way I was able to push through those situations without a breakdown was by fully relying on God’s strength to fill me. He gave me overwhelming peace during those days, showing me the value in the position in which I found myself, and how to seek a more Christ-like attitude in those moments.
“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” ~ Philippians 4:11
WEEK 1: Ministry
We are here! When I found out our first minstry host was located in Medellín, Colombia, I expected to find the city similar to ours in America. Instead, I was immediately overcome by the twinkling of the bluest of waters and a gorgeous mountain range. Praise God for the gift of sight! The ministry we are serving seeks to help the homeless, aids in women’s and men’s ministry outreach, hosts a school, and provides help for local children.
On our first ministry day (9/15) we intended to focus on community outreach. We were introduced to our host and the staff of the organization we are serving here in Medellín. We were then given the opportunity to house call on women and mothers in the community, so as to hear their stories, share with them, and pray blessings over their houses. We also played with the local children, cleaned up trash from the streets, and laid a new roof for a local’s house. Day one was a success!
Day two of ministry (9/16) we intended to focus on serving the children, sharing joy with them, and building relationships. Our organization, which partially serves as a school/camp for the local children, hosted a day for us to interact with the kids. We engaged in face painting, songs of worship, and general frivolity.
Day three of ministry (9/17) we attended a spanish church service! Each person who attended the service was part of one of the program that the organization offers. While joining in worship with the church I realized how amazing it is that we can all worship the same God in different languages, in different cultural styles, and in different parts of the world. How crazy and completely awesome it is that outside of our small worlds others are praising the same God!?
Week 1: Summary
God has been working on my heart and helping me to process and heal through both tough and joyous situations. It is only the beginning of an incredible journey and I am already feeling closer and hearing His voice more clearly. He is so good to me! Thank you all for your prayers! May God bless and fill you all with His joy.
see ya soon!!!
