Where do I start?
At this point I am over halfway done with The World Race.
Literally, where do I start?
I am currently in Myanmar, also known as Burma. I have been here 3 weeks. My team and I will spend four weeks here. This is the longest period of time I have stayed in one place since leaving the States. This has also been the hardest month I have had so far.
7 of us have been living in a 600 square foot 5th floor apartment. I remember walking in and wondering where we were all going to fit. We were so tired when we first arrived that we laid down on the floor and passed out for a few hours. Since waking up hot and sweaty on the hard ground of our tiny abode, Myanmar has been an adventure.
Let me clarify…
When I say adventure I don’t mean mountain climbing, sight seeing adventure. I’m talking about the kind of adventure that could never be captured in a photograph.
Myanmar has pushed myself and my teammates to our breaking points and even beyond.
We have named our cockroaches.
Pooping in bags is now a normal thing due to plumbing issues.
We no longer experience shame in sharing plumbing issues on the World Wide Web.
We wear the same outfit for days.
We wash our clothes in a tiny bucket prior to washing ourselves, sometimes with a shower and sometimes with a bucket. It’s always an adventure, but rest assured you will never be alone. Earl the cockroach or Inch the worm will always join you.
Spiritual warfare has been at an all time high.
Our bank accounts are at an all time low.
Peanut butter sandwiches and noodles make up 80% of our diet.
You can expect at minimum one breakdown on the team daily.
Its hot, so hot!
Ministry was nothing that we expected it to be.
Nothing in Myanmar was as we expected it to be.
… and that, that is where I find the beauty in it all.
As a new team we have pressed into the pain and endured the suffering. We have been vulnerable and open in the good times and the bad. When we weren’t given set Ministry we went out and found it. We asked God, where do you want me today? … and we went.
Ministry looked different to each person on my team this month. We’ve prayer walked in the park. We’ve taught English to Monks and Buddhist. We’ve spent time with locals building relationships and learning about their culture. We’ve fellowshipped during meals and coffee dates with some of the most beautiful Burmese women. We’ve shared our testimonies into all hours of the night. We’ve walked the streets of Myanmar at 3 a.m. because God said so. We’ve dried each other’s tears and experienced belly rolling laughter. We have been filled up when we least expected it by Spirit-led church services.
We’ve pushed into the pain and processed the suffering for God’s Glory.
… because He called us.
… because we said yes.
… because you couldn’t pay me to go home early at this point.
The Ministry that is laying heavy on my heart though, isn’t the Ministry God has been doing through us, it’s the Ministry God has been doing in us.
This Ministry is not quantifiable by conversions or deliverances. We can’t look at our fundraising dollars and show you an immediate spiritual fruit that was harvested because of it.
The growth I have been experiencing because of your fundraising dollars are priceless.
… because you said Yes in supporting me financially and sending me on this 11 month mission trip I will not be stepping back onto US soil the same person who left in January.
This month I have spent more time in God’s Word than I have my whole life.
When I came on the Race I thought I would spend 11 months pouring out and changing the world as we know it. Although I truly believe I have taken part in both of those things, God has me in a period of being built up. He is equipping me to be a warrior for His Kingdom.
I have seen and experienced things I never imagined I would see or experience. I am changed, I will never be the same. Myanmar has changed me. It has solidified in my heart many of the provisions God has been revealing to me for 6 months. It was my turn to say Yes again.
So thank you!
… because you said Yes by supporting me financially I can say Yes to the Father time and time again.
… because of your Yes I walk in boldness and confidence of who God made me as His daughter.
… because of your Yes this tiny corner of the world is changing my life.
… because of your prayers I have remained under God’s protection from physical, spiritual and emotional attacks from this world.
What we Racers do out here is hard to put into words 99% of the time, but you give us Grace every time and continue supporting us.
So, thank you!
If you feel called to support my financial needs while I am on the field you can donate through two platforms:
www.gofundme.com/kayces-missionary-support
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24
