I sent the following letter out with a little Christmas card to family, close friends, and financial supporters, but I also wanted to share it with all of you who faithfully followed my blog during my Race.
Enjoy, my friend!
I hope this year has been one in which you were able to see God move in your life and experience Him in new ways. Whether this year held some of your life’s brightest moments, darkest moments, or a combination of both, know that God had gifts for you in each of those moments, even if you can’t recognize them fully yet. He’ll make them known to you in time.
For me, this past year held many gifts. My journey on the World Race allowed me to stand amongst incredibly majestic mountaintops in which I saw the grandeur of our Creator, to work alongside amazing women who displayed the joy of Christ despite hardships, and to experience the deep ache of unmet desires that left me broken at the feet of my Father.
I experienced a lot of different things this past year, and I returned to the States just in time for Thanksgiving with many gifts for which to be thankful. I understand that I may be unable to fully recognize some of the gifts within my experiences just yet because God is still at work, but one gift that was never far from my mind this year was you.
Yes, you!
I know I wasn’t the best at keeping in touch with family, friends, and supporters outside of blogging and posting on social media, (WiFi isn’t as reliable in other countries as it is in the United States) but that doesn’t mean that you weren’t far from my mind. Your prayers, encouragements, and financial support made this past year possible for me, and I am sincerely grateful for you. I thanked God for you often.
Because of your support, I was able to travel to eleven different countries and share the love of Christ through various ministry opportunities. Here are some snapshots of what ministry looked like this year:
We arrived in Mozambique while local schools were on summer break, which was a perfect time for us to paint classrooms and a new building at a school that provides free education to orphans. We also participated in prayer vigils and weekly youth club meetings at local churches. One of my favorite memories from this month was studying the book of Romans with university students.
Malawi is known as “the warm heart of Africa,” despite being the world’s poorest country. We spent our mornings serving in local schools and our afternoons reading Bible stories and singing silly songs with the kids who gathered at our house in the afternoon. Village elders asked us to pray for 3 things this month: rain, food, and electricity. God provided them all during our time here!
Our entire squad served at one ministry site in Zambia. We worked hard to transform an abandoned lot that was overgrown with weeds into a park where kids could come and play while hearing about Christ. After 15 days of hard manual labor, we were able to run the first day camp for J-Zone Africa at this park. It was a joy to see kids playing & hear them laughing, but it was an even greater joy to see most of them accept Christ that day!
We served with an amazing group of teenagers in the Philippines! These young people have a strong desire to grow in their relationships with Christ and share His love with their community. We taught them how to plan and run a 4-day VBS program, and then watched them run one of their own! While we encouraged them this month, they encouraged me more than they’ll ever know.
Thailand was a crazy busy month for us! We spent the month visiting churches and teaching English at various schools. Each new day brought a new school – some days we taught at more than one. We handed out Gospel-themed comics to each child, prayed with them, and shared many laughs. It was neat to see how God worked out the details of each day and opened doors to the school.
Cambodia was a hard month for us. My entire team got sick; some teammates were even hospitalized, so we were doing ministry with 3-4 people most days. We spent our mornings doing manual labor and our afternoons teaching English. I learned to how to rely on God in deeper ways this month, seeking Him for daily needs and watching Him provide. The sunsets here were beautiful reminders of His goodness!
In Colombia, we served at a home for at-risk and underprivileged children operated by Youth With A Mission. We helped the kitchen staff prepare meals, picked children up from school, assisted with homework, and played a lot of games. The older kids started a feeding program for the homeless, and we went with them one night; serving with them in the shelter is a memory I won’t soon forget!
The entire squad served together at IncaLink in Ecuador. We served in a variety of programs, from feeding programs to sports ministry and kids camps to elderly care, but many of us would say our greatest ministry this month was to our parents who participated in the Parent Vision Trip. I am grateful my mom could come experience a bit of the Race, and that we had this opportunity to serve the Lord together.
Peru was definitely one of my favorite months on the Race, and it is a place I pray about returning to. I loved working at Casa Josefina where we cared for 17 orphans under the age of 12. The house was full of energy, and we quickly fell in love with these youngsters. We celebrated the adoption of two children while we were here!
In addition to ministry on the mainlaind, we spent a week on an island off the coast of Chile laying the foundation of a home for a couple who were the first Christians on the island! Using only hand tools, we moved dirt collected rocks and sand from the beach, and mixed and poured cement for the 20’ x 30’ home. A different team of missionaries will start construction on the home in February.
We ended the year in Argentina living with and serving a family of 25 people – a couple with 4 biological kids opened their home to 18 foster kids. They had just moved from Buenos Aires to the country to start a new branch of Adulam Ministries. We spent the month doing construction and yard work on the properties that will become future foster homes for this life-giving program.
These are just a few of the stories from my year; I have plenty more, and I’d love to share them with you! If you would like to get together for coffee or dinner some time to hear more, please email me at [email protected], and we’ll set something up. Or if you live far away, we could always Skype. I’d love to hear how God has worked in your life this past year too!
For the moment, I’ve landed in the Indianapolis area, but I’m still not sure how to answer the “what’s next” question. I’m researching and praying about a couple of different options. However, one thing I do know is that I am called to “go, and make disciples,” (Matt. 28:19) and I intend to do that wherever my two feet take me. Opportunities for showing the love of Christ to others are everywhere, and I pray that I will always be obedient to the Spirit’s prompting in my life.
Thank you again for all of your support this past year!
