So this blog is a simple, straight to the point blog about the past few months of the race. It has been a while, I apologize!
Month 5 (January): Thailand. Our last Asian country! In Thailand, my team did bar and cafe ministry with absolutely amazing ministry contacts. We would volunteer at a coffee shop-which we also lived at-and help serve, clean, and build relationships with the girls who worked there. Then at night we would go out into the red-light district of Chiang Mai and build relationships with the prostitutes-girls and ladyboys-in hopes of just loving them and telling them about the gospel and their worth in Christ. This was hands down one of my favorite months of the race and I was blessed by a specific bar girl that was craving more from life but struggling to change what she has known for so long. We had the opportunity to hang out with her multiple days outside of the bar and to introduce her to our head ministry contact in hopes of getting her out of that scene. At the end of the month she still remained in the bar and as far as I know she is still there, but the Lord gave me a great sense of hope for not only her but for so many people who are trapped in that world. He taught me so much about how he pursues us and how he doesn’t give up on us no matter what our sin or mistakes may be.
Month 6 (February): South Africa. Our ministry this month was assisting in teaching English and tutoring kids at a very underprivileged school in a poverty stricken area of Port Elizabeth. We would go to the school everyday at 8 and stay until 2. These kids captivated my heart by the second day (I’ll be honest and say on the first day I was super overwhelmed and unfamiliar with everything so I was not stoked about it) and my love for them grew substantially over the month. I did not see myself liking kids and especially did not see myself having any fraction of an interest in teaching, but somehow the Lord gave me the excitement and love for both. I became so involved with wanting to see them learn and be proud of themselves for learning. Many of the kids suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome and have learning disabilities that we don’t know the extent of but it is easy to tell that they were far behind. The kids were so full of joy which overflowed into my spirit. It was a hard place to leave because not only had I become attached to these kids but because I wanted to continue to teach them and see them reach to their greatest levels of potential.
Month 7 (March): Swaziland. Okay this place and this month were hands down my favorite of the race so far. So if you ask me what country was my favorite, I’ll know who has or hasn’t read my blog. This is a test! I was with my team and one other girls team this month working at an orphanage on top of a mountain with a gorgeous view of green mountain ranges that go on way further than we could see. We did construction and gardening in the mornings and then tutored and loved on the kids in the afternoon. Again, I fell in love with these little Swazi children. I had a little 10 year old boy who was my buddy for the month and he was so full of life and joy and was so smart. He asked me questions about Jesus all the time and was so hungry for truth. He carried my Bible around with him and would just be reading it as I was giving him a piggy-back ride around the orphanage. I had the privilege of telling him the full gospel during chapel one night and praying with him to put his faith in Christ. He asked me questions and he got it, he understood what it meant and I pray that he will continue to seek out his Savior. I miss his sweet face so much.
Month 8 (April): Northern Ireland. This past month our whole squad was together at one ministry site in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. We worked with a local church there called Causeway Coast Vineyard. Our ministry changed day by day, we worked with the food bank, cleaned the church, transcribed sermons, passed out pamphlets to people on the street, etc. This church was amazing and the Lord has been working in powerful ways through it. They have seen hundreds coming to Christ and have brought physical healing to people by standing on the streets and praying for them. It was a privilege to see their faith at work and be a part of that. This was also the month of our Parent a Vision Trip and I got to spend 4 days with my lovely mother who came all the way to Ireland to see me!
I have three more months left on the race, next month we go to Moldova and then two more Eastern European countries. I am really excited about what these last three months will bring and that the Lord will have his way in them. Ciao friends!
