Launch is over. I have said goodbye to those I love most for a year and I am approximately 36 hours into a 4 day trek to my ministry host for the month. It’s 5:05 a.m. … we are currently 11,586m above Luxor, Africa and I can hardly contain my excitement for the year my team and I have ahead of us. This is surprising, since earlier we found out we won’t have electricity or running water while we are there. There is something so exhilarating about diving head first into the kingdom God has prepared for you, even if it means being stripped of everything you find comforting.
During month one, my team, God’s Magnolias, will be serving at Africa on Fire Ministry in Mozambique. This ministry was started five years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa planting churches. They now have a large plot of land in Mozambique that they are developing to serve the community of Chibuto. They have planted a church in Chibuto and are currently building the first 2 of 12 houses for the orphanage as well as the first school building. They regularly go on house visits and do outreach in local villages to preach the gospel.
During our time in Mozambique we will be ministering outreach in the evenings and playing with local kids during the day, as we will be there during the school holiday. We will be ministering in the church with the youth, women and children’s groups, and helping meet various needs that arise. The team will also help with building a fence and a school. During the house visits in the local villages we will be camping in these communities and participating in crusades at night. Needless to say, God has a lot of work planned for us in Month 1 and we cannot wait to get there.
The life my team and I will be living isn’t just going to be for the next year. The World Race is going to equip us to live a life of bringing kingdom for the rest of our lives and I cannot wait to walk this journey with each of you! Over the next 11 months we will be living out the Acts 2 church where, “They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number daily.” – Acts 2: 42-47.
My Race will encompass each aspect in the verse above. We will be gathering together daily and intentionally, not just to simply be together, but to spur each other on and push each other into vulnerability. We will break bread together and enter into spirit lead prayer with one another and our community. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we will cast out demons, heal the sick, watch the lame walk, and bring countless brothers and sisters to the Father. We will humble ourselves before the Father. R Squad is going to do AMAZING things this year for the kingdom and the enemy can’t stop it. Adventures in Missions staff have answered God’s call and are allowing R Squad to function differently than the squads that have gone before us – so stay tuned, great things are to come.
Starting with a pretty big announcement: R Squad will not be completing the standard #11n11 (11 countries in 11 month route). We will actually be traveling to 12 COUNTRIES IN 11 MONTHS!!!! That’s right – we have route change, it’s just not the kind supporters are used to. We will be gaining a country instead of swapping one out for another.
Drum roll please…
We will now be adding Malaysia to our route & pushing Mongolia to a later month (PTL – Praise The Lord). As much as I hate to miss out on snow ministry (sarcasm), I am stoked for the new route God has put us on.
Mozambique >> Swaziland >> Madagascar >> Malaysia >> China >> Mongolia >> Myanmar >> India >> Nepal >> Costa Rica >> Nicaragua >> (and last but not least) El Salvador.
Please keep my squad and I in your prayers as we prepare for the months God has in front of us, that we continue to have fresh and renewed spirits to set and fan the flame so that His kingdom can be set on fire by the power of the Holy Spirit! As for the other changes coming our way, I will keep you updated as they come to fruition. For now hang tight because that’s all I’ve got tonight/this morning/whatever time it is.
Can you tell I’m excited? Because when this plane lands my squad and I will be in AFRICA!!!! It is real guys, and each of you have contributed to me getting on this plane. Thank you for the prayers, the donations, my gear, my vaccines, my letters, for watching my dogs while I am away, and a huge shout out to a donor for supplying me with the iPad I am currently writing this blog on. God sent me on this journey and equipped me with each of you to complete His ultimate plan. When I think back to the past 11 months and all it took to get here, I am in awe of God’s greatness and how the blessings LITERALLY overflowed! I love each of you so much!
TTFN – Ta ta for now
-K
