As you know this month has been challenging for me. But it turns out that in the midst of
everything, I was able to grow more in the past three weeks than I have in the
past 6 months combined. Crazy how that
works. I didn’t have any huge “breaking
moment” or anything like that- World Racers always talk about stuff like
that. No, for me it was just a reality
check from the Lord. I realized this
month that we are living in real life.
This year isn’t some “escape” or vacation from reality. We still deal with all the same junk that we
do back home (and even more at times), and still long for and desire all the
same things. I’ve realized that the Lord
has always been in the exact same place since I came to know him-right there
next to me. So, when I don’t feel close
to him, its not because he has moved anywhere, it’s because I have chosen to
move away, or am just not committed to our relationship.
This month I have discovered just how much the Lord wants to
have a personal relationship with me. He
is the all mighty, powerful God, but he is also my Father. Just like any good earthly father, he desires
to have that intimate relationship with all his children. I’ve been learning how to have that this
month. We have had a significant amount
of down time here…which we originally considered a bad thing, but the Lord
knows how important rest is, and that honestly… our teams needed it. We are headed to Phuket, Thailand on Saturday
where we will be working in the red light district with SHE ministries. We will need to be on our “A game”-both
physically and spiritually. It
absolutely won’t be an easy month, and we will definitely encounter a lot of
spiritual warfare and resistance from the enemy.
I had never realized
just how important rest is in my life until recently. In America we don’t rest-ever. We work all of the time, and when we aren’t
working we are constantly busy with other things we need to do. Until the race, I didn’t really know how to
“rest” properly. But rest this month has
actually allowed me to connect with God in a way I never have before. The Lord wants us to spend quality time with
him and draw near to him. I’ve been
spending about 1-2 hours every morning in the Lord’s presence for the past few
weeks, trying to connect with him through worship and prayer. I’ve always been one to do things in my own
strength. I never really understood what
it meant to allow God to be your strength.
I’ve realized that when I would take things to the Lord, I would bring
them to him, ask for help, then walk away carrying them in my own strength,
when in actuality he wants me to bring things to him, allow him to carry it and
to walk along side me the entire way. So
simple… but such a hard concept for me to grasp.
So we leave in three days for Thailand. We will be flying from Johannesburg to India
(12 hours) where we have a one-hour layover before flying into Thailand
(another 6 hour flight). We will then
have a 12-hour bus ride to Phuket, where we will be doing ministry for the
month.
Please keep us in your
prayers this month. We are really
praying for the chains and strongholds of prostitution and sex trafficking to
be broken and for the women to be set free.
We are praying that the Lord will redeem and restore the streets of
Phuket, and convict all of the tourists visiting the red light district. We pray that we can be a light in the midst
of the darkness.
“You are the light of
the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden. In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in
heaven” –Matthew 5:14,16
