Overview of month 3!
Countries:
- North Africa
- Cyprus
Planes: 3
Buses: Around 30?
Trains: 1
It’s month 4!!! Don’t ask me how this happened because I honestly have no idea. Between all of the traveling & adjusting & saying goodbyes & meeting new people it has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. I have grown more this past month than I ever have & it has been a really sweet time of getting to know the Lord better & focusing on my relationship with Him & how that comes into play with the world around me, so I apologize for not updating as much as I usually do! That being said, here is a very belated list of all of the happenings of month 3!!!
- We were still in Morocco at the beginning of this month (I swear I think we were there for like 50 years). My team spent the last 5 days of our time here discovering new parts of the country. We went down south & explored the most beautiful city & finally got to experience the real life craziness of a Moroccan market. We got to explore the amazing Atlas Mountains & see the highest peak in the Arab world. While in the mountains we also had the opportunity to visit a Berber village & eat a traditional meal prepared by a Berber family.
- Spent the last week of Morocco at debrief in the quaintest little surf town. We were finally all together as one big squad for the first time since Spain. It was physically restful & emotionally a marathon (I’m talking tears every day) but it was all so good because God was doing a lot of work on our hearts & the tears were always followed by so much laughter.
- Our last night in Morocco my squad sat on the roof underneath the most beautiful star-filled sky I had ever seen. While praising Him we were reminded of God’s promise to Abraham & we got to boldly proclaim His promises over us. Then we got to shout our thanks to Him for all of those that have already come true & for all of those that we are still waiting on. It was POWERFUL.
- My girl Allison got baptized in the Atlantic Ocean!!!
- Had one of the craziest travel days of my life, consisting of 1 overnight bus, 3 airplanes, & an unplanned sleepover in the Portuguese airport. After just under 72 hours we finally arrived in North Cyprus & I got to shower!!!
- God began teaching me what it looks like to grow in deeper intimacy with Him. Just as soon as I think I’m done learning about Him, BAM, He shows me something else & it rocks my world. I spent a lot of month 3 just really pressing into this. I heard Him say that this month would consist more of spending intentional time with Him rather than outreach in the community & after being in month 4 for a week I see that this was to prepare me for what was to come!
- The Lord blessed us with the most beautiful airbnb for the cost of just $10 a night! (Guys, North Cyprus is SLEPT ON. It’s beautiful, cheap, rich in history, & perfect for both the beach & mountain gal.)
- On our second day in Cyprus we decided to hike to this ancient castle on top of the mountain behind our house. It ended up being a 17-mile hike that we were NOT prepared for. There were wild mountain goats, bushes full of thorns, & treacherous rocks we had to climb over. Let’s just say it gave me some serious Camino PTSD. But the views were STUNNING & the castle was so incredible that I would say it was definitely worth it, even if we got caught in a massive thunderstorm on the way down. (We ended up taking cover in a shmancy winery & they just about died when 5 sopping wet American girls walked in. One guy was literally doubled over laughing sarcastically asking if we had reservations, but then they kindly made us tea & called us a cab.)
- Found an Anglican church called St. Andrews that is 99% attended by Swallows. Swallows are retired Brits that own property in Cyprus. They come out in the fall & spring to live the slow Cypriot life. We instantly befriended them & it didn’t take long for them to invite us to their weekly outings to the George (their favorite English café).
- Got recruited into the St. Andrews choir where we sang old hymns with the Swallows every Sunday morning.
- We had the privilege of taking part in the A21 walk against Human Trafficking. That day there were walks taking place all over the world, but this was the first time one had taken place in Cyprus. We walked throughout the capital, Nicosia, & learned about A21. It ended up being a very powerful day.
- The Lord led us to the American University in North Cyprus where we found a new contact. To say this campus ministry is passionate about serving the Lord would be a massive understatement. These students are on fire with the Holy Spirit & are fully capable of changing the world. I cannot wait to see the ways Adventures in Missions gets to work with them in the future.
- We found a coffee bar & music lounge called the Soulist. As soon as we walked in, the bar tender, AK, asked if we were Christians & proceeded to blast worship music throughout the café. We spent several afternoons & evenings at the Soulist talking to AK & getting to know his story & his fiery passion for the Lord. We learned so much from each other, so if you ever find yourself in North Cyprus stop by the Soulist & give AK a hug for me. You’ll instantly have a new friend.
- While the men on our squad had “man-istry month,” two of our AMAZING squad leaders, Laura & Alyssa, hosted a women’s retreat one weekend. All of the girls on our squad came together for 3 days & worshipped the Lord, spoke truth over one another, cooked for each other, studied the book of Ruth, & just rejoiced in being daughters of Christ together. It was one of my sweetest memories on the Race so far.
- We got the opportunity of making the sweetest girl friends. They were from Africa & the Middle East & we loved every second we spent with them. They were such a joy to be around, but they also didn’t shy away from hard conversations. It was an honor to get to minister & pour into one another.
- We found a thrift store called Rags to Riches right down the street from our house & fell in love with the lovely owners. They were sisters from the UK & we made it a point to visit them often. They would make us Turkish coffee & teach us how to play new card games. They were so kind & sweet & I already miss them dearly.
- Spent an afternoon as a team dreaming with the Lord. We took a good, hard look at the deep desires of our hearts & asked God why they’re there because we know He designed each of us for a specific purpose & He laid those desires on our hearts for a reason. I learned that Lord loves it when we dream with Him, when we take ownership of the gifts He’s given us & the desires placed on our hearts. (I highly recommend taking a good, hard look at your dreams too, cause I bet they’re there for a reason 🙂
- Hosted a mini Beauty for Ashes retreat with the girls from the American University. It was an honor to get to hear their stories & watch them walk in freedom as they proclaimed who God says they are. One of my favorite parts was watching the way my team played a part in the retreat. Every single one of them stepped up & played a vital role in the evening & it was truly a gift to see them obey the Lord & watch as He did a mighty work through them.
- My team threw a fall day with our local friends where we wore flannels, made fall desserts, drank hot chocolate, carved melons, played games, & worshipped the Lord. It was such a sweet last night with our new friends.
North Cyprus made me extremely thankful for the diversity of people. We made friends from all over the world & I’m continually being reminded of why the Lord created all of us so differently. It’s a powerful thing when you get to fellowship with people of a different background than you. You get a glimpse into God’s heart & His desire to be worshipped by people of all nations. & I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again, I cannot wait till I get to worship with all of these sweet friends I’ve made in Heaven one day.
Now, I’m in Lebanon & month 4 is in full swing! I’m not quite sure what I expected Lebanon to be like, but it has pleasantly surprised me! My team is located in downtown Beirut & it is such a cool city. This month I have received the incredible honor of getting raised up as Team Leader. I am overjoyed by this opportunity & so excited to be able to serve my team in this way. It’s only been a week, but I have already learned so much & have been humbled in a whole new way. Lebanon has been full of transitions. Not only am I leading my team, but we also have the opportunity of working with a host. We are partnering with Horizons International where we will be working full time with Syrian refugees. We have hit the ground running & have hardly stopped, but it is an absolute dream opportunity & I can’t wait to post specific updates on what we’re getting to do.
It would be so great if you could be praying for my team & our time with Horizons International. Pray that we may be of the greatest help to this incredible organization. Pray that we may show these sweet refugees as much of the Fathers love as humanly possible because they sure do need it. Pray for my patience & sanity as I dive headfirst into children’s ministry, because dang these kiddos are WILD, but they ‘re stinkin cute so it makes up for it. Pray for continued wisdom as we head into the refugee camps & pray that I may lead my team well throughout this month. & Pray especially for Horizons as they continue to provide aid & bring people to Jesus. (Also if you wanna throw some prayers up that I survive this Thanksgiving holiday without my fam that would be awesome as well, MAN I’m going to miss them) Thank you so much for reading & praying. I appreciate you!!!
