Since I’m halfway through the race and heading into MONTH 7 in a couple of days, I thought I’d share a blog about all that God has taught me over the past 6 months!
October- Month 1- Belize
I realized God could use struggles in your life to strengthen your faith and draw you closer in relationship with Him.
I heard God speak to me for the first time.
God began speaking to me through images.
I truly began to understand why daily quiet time with the Lord is so important. If we try to continuously serve from our own strength, we will burn out. We need to serve from God’s power.
November- Month 2- Honduras
I learned that God wants us to do life WITH Him, not FOR Him. He is God so He doesn’t need us. He just loves us so much that He wants to use us to accomplish His purposes.
I realized God can work through us to reach other people even when we aren’t using words. The Lord showed me this while working at the home for adults with disabilities. Most of the residents I worked with were non-verbal, so God taught me that just through loving the people, His light could be shined onto them.
I continued to hear the Lord speak to me through images.
I had a breakthrough in my struggle with never feeling like I was enough. During quiet time one day, the Lord showed me how He sees me, instead of how I see myself. He loves me a TON and He loves YOU a ton, too!
God gave me a breakthrough about leadership. He showed me not to seek to be what the world defines as a leader, but to seek to be what God defines as a leader- a servant leader who puts others first.
December- Month 3- El Salvador
God began to show me how to naturally think of others before myself and how to intentionally love others selflessly.
This month I went through a “dry season” with God. I didn’t feel like He was speaking to me at all and it was really frustrating. I felt like I was slipping back into my old ways of thinking before I found God. At the end of the month, God showed me He was remaining silent because of pride I held onto. He wanted to show me that all the changes happening in me were because of Him, not me. I was still holding onto wanting some of the credit. He also showed me that everything that would be done through me in the future would all be because of Him and for His glory.
January- Month 4- Vietnam
This was my team’s ATL (Ask The Lord) month! The Lord taught me the meaning of “life is ministry and ministry is life”. He made me realize that each day I don’t necessarily need to be seeking out people He wants me to talk to, things He wants me to do, etc, but because I’m His daughter, He is already using me. I can simply be faithful to Him in each action I do day in and day out.
God made me realize why people getting drunk hurts Him (I wrote a blog on this if you want to read it).
February- Month 5- Cambodia
This was the first time I was sharing my testimony with people who had never heard of Jesus!
God put the idea of being a Christian therapist in my mind.
The Lord showed me I had surrendered my plans for my future to Him, but I was still trying to hold onto control of what those plans would turn out to be. He wanted me to completely trust Him with His plans for me even if they turn out to be like nothing I imagine.
March- Month 6- Albania
The Lord showed me that I was still striving to be better and better. He wants me to know that I don’t need to strive; I just need to trust Him that He is working in and through me.
God taught me about faith (I also wrote a blog on this). God continues to want more of our hearts, so each step in our lives is going to require more and more faith. The more we trust, the closer we get in relationship with Jesus.
The Lord taught me the power of prayer this month. Sometimes He is “just” calling us to pray for certain situations or people, and nothing else.
I really began to grow in gifts God has blessed me with.
I began wrestling through tough questions about my faith with God.
God spoke to me a ton this month through many different images!
I will forever be so grateful for the World Race because it has provided me with an opportunity to solely focus on my relationship with God and serving others for 11 months of my life. The Lord can teach us so much when we continually keep our eyes on Him.
