Well, with this being Ask the Lord month, when we first got to Togo, we had no ministry contacts due to them not being able to have us after all. So we have been praying and asking God to show us where He wanted us to go. Well we finally have the go signal from God!!!!! We will be with Team Rev 217 and Team Logos this month and will be at an orphanage (well more like a boys’ home) this month. We have no idea what ministry will look like but know that this is where God wants us! All of the other possibitlites we had this month fell through as well- we tried Mercy Ships and their contacts they had here, but the door seemed to close on each one! It amazes me what happens when you walk by faith! When we got to Togo we had no contacts and within a day of truly seeking God and asking Him, we had at least 2 possible contacts
J Some people (I am sure) will think that Asking God is crazy and some Christians have honestly probably never truly walked by faith. I am still amazed at how God has provided and even though we still have no clue what exactly ministry this month will look like, I know that we are exactly where God wants us to be!!!There are about 16 to 24 boys that we will be working with this month (and I would like to say that most are middle school to high school ages). They basically will be in school the majority of the day and will have a break from 12 to 2 and will be done at 5pm. So we will be with them on the weekends and after they get done with school. From the looks of it we will basically have free reign as to what we can do with them. They orphanage is not Christian so who knows- maybe this will be the first time these kids hear about Jesus! We will be staying in two different houses close to the orphanage and will be in a village that seems somewhat rural, but is a couple blocks away from the coast/beach. We will also be cooking our own meals (this will be the first time Jubilee has had to do that J so far on the race!) and it looks like we will have a pretty legit kitchen this month too!
So our mornings will be basically free to do anything- from ministering in the village where we will be living to Asking the Lord each day as to what He wants us to do to ministering to the members on my team as well as building relationships with the other two teams we will be working with. I am so excited to be working with Rev. and Logos this month and cannot wait to serve alongside them and to know them more! I am also excited to be able to have some time to truly pour into my team this month and to focus more on them than I have been able to before. With being on the race, I am seeing that my family comes first over anything- just as much as we are here to minister to others, the members of my team come first over any other ministry! I really think that this month is going to be more of ministering to my team as well as to those in the village and the boys.
Please be praying for us- for safety and protection (both physical and spiritually) and for all 3 of our teams to grow in unity with each other and within our own teams. Also to let God work the way He wants without our expectations getting in the way! The first thought I have when I think of ministry is to other people- to the people here in Togo- and so many times forget that ministering to my team also counts as a ministry in and of itself. Pray that our expectations of this month will not put God in a box and that they will not cause us to miss what God is doing. I have no idea what the internet will be but when I get the chance I will be sure to let you all know how things are going and the things that God is doing and showing me!!! Thanks for all of your prayers – it means so much to me to know that people back home are praying and fighting for us and with us! This is truly Kingdom Living! J
