Hullo loved ones,
Before I update you on ministry, I have a few exciting announcements to make!
Firstly, the $15,500.00 that I needed to raise for food and budget in order to remain on the field is fully funded!!! Praise the Lord, and thanks to each and every one of you who have given so freely to me and this mission. This does mean that you do not have to send money on my behalf to AIM any longer, unless you wish for solely Adventured in Missions to benefit from your donation. I still have field expenses with which I will need assistance (airfare home, shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc…) as the $15,500.00 only covers food, lodging, and airfare on the field. I will post information about where to send support in a later post, but if you are still feeling led to give, there are ways in which you can still support me in this mission.
The next big announcement is…drum roll… my team has changed again! I know this is the first time you’re hearing about it, even though it’s the second time it’s happened, but I’m trying to keep ya’ll better updated on what’s going on out here. J The team changed at the end of the month in Ukraine, and I am so in love with these women already. Yes, I’m still on an all girls team. Some of you know my trepidation about being placed on a team with all women prior to coming on the race, but the Spirit has changed my heart to the point of loving every moment of it and fully embracing my sisters in Christ. Our team is a team of honour, trust, vulnerability, and love because we keep Christ at the center of all our interactions. It’s splendid in every way. Sooo…the beautiful women who comprise this powerhouse team are: Katie Winistorfer, Rose Huber, Misty Nichols Curry, Emily Schlichting, Sammie Jo Marks, and yours truly. The name of our new team is Amani Warriors. Amani is the Swahili word for peace, and the intention and imagery is that we are waging war against the enemy for the Prince of Peace, fully girded in the Armour of God.
This month, we are in Mbeya, Tanzania, working with a church family by teaching in the church, ministering to the children in the town, and we’ll be going out into villages with them to spread the gospel. I will tell you more about this month in a later post, but I feel the need to go back and tell you about ministry last month in Ukraine.
We spent the month of May at a camp called Jeremiah’s Hope in the little village of Kolentsi, Ukraine. This was probably the toughest month thus far on the race for me, but also a month of tremendous growth spiritually. After our first few days there, about 30 college students from Abeliene, Texas came to work and prepare for a weekend camp for the at risk children that are at the heart of the ministry.
It was our duty to serve through laundry, cleaning, and prepping beds for them prior to their arrival. When they arrived, we joined in several building and maintenance projects at the camp to prepare for the coming of the children from surrounding villages. The tasks were numerous, but all very much needed. I tend to find manual labor rewarding because I can see a finished product in a tilled garden, built shelter, or the running water we piped to the neighbor’s house. It also gives me pictures to send back to all of my supporters to show you, “Look, I’m working. I’m doing something. Progress is being made in the name of Christ around the world!”
Then the children showed up, but our task was not to run the camp or spend time with the children, which I desperately wanted to do. I wanted to hear their stories and wrap my arms around them and tell them how much Jesus loves them. That was the ministry of the college student’s that were there for the week though, not mine. My ministry was in the kitchen with my team, serving behind the scenes through feeding about 70 people three times a day. I was still blessed to be able to interact with the children through lice checks, sitting with them at a few meals, and taking them back to their homes in the village, but I still struggled with serving in a capacity that was removed from the front lines of ministry. My heart was in loving those children, and I was fully capable of doing it, but that’s not where I was called to serve. I was called to support those who were tending to the hearts of children who were abused, neglected, and dismissed; to pour into them so they could pour into the children who desperately needed affection.
This stirred something ugly up inside of me and made it surface. Why was I here? Why did I come on this mission? Did I come to do commendable and notable things; to get a woman out of trafficking so I could feel validated in my Christianity and send stories back home about my amazing work for the Lord? Am I on this mission to make myself feel better about my good works? NO! Absolutely not! That’s not what this life is about, nor what I have been called to. The body of Christ is about supporting one another in love, and lifting one another up while keeping our eyes fixed on the only thing that matters, which is Christ. We all have to help one another though. All of the Epistles written to the early church are filled with instruction to bear one another’s burdens, unity in the body, building one another up in Christ. In fact, I love it in I Corinthians 12 when Paul talks about the Body of Christ being many members. We all have different purposes and different callings, but we all must work together in unity of honour, with no division. We are all necessary for the whole body to work.
Last month made me think about my mother a lot. My mum spent most of her life raising children as a stay at home, homeschooling mom. Unless I told you about her, you probably would have never heard about my mother. She’s never been on a long term, organized mission like the World Race, she doesn’t run women’s conferences, and she doesn’t stand on a stage and lead hundreds of people into worship. My mother hasn’t received a lot of praise for how she has serve the kingdom, but her role has been immense and impactful, even if “behind the scenes.” She’s cooked, cleaned, taught, counseled, nursed, she has dedicated years of her life to serve those who cannot help themselves, even if her gifts and talents lie elsewhere. My mum and my father remind me of Timothy’s mother and grandmother who are noted by Paul for their sincere faith that they passed onto Timothy. Because of the gift of faith given to my parents, I, as a result, am proclaiming the gospel throughout the nations. They were instrumental members of the body of Christ which supported me to be here, sitting on a palette on a dirt floor in Mbeya. How very blessed I am by their willingness to serve me silently for so many years.
This mission isn’t about notoriety or making myself feel better about my goodness. In fact, it’s not about ME at all! It’s about Christ and how amazingly good He is. That is what I am called to. Christ is my only reason for serving, walking, breathing, loving, singing, sleeping…living.
