First things first…I MADE IT TO EL SALVADOR!!!
We are staying in the city of Santa Ana this month at the home of an amazing host family. Alberto, “Mama Mary” and their 4 kids have already blessed us beyond belief. Even though we all have sleeping pads they decided to buy us all new air mattresses, they even traded in their pickup truck for a minibus that would fit all of us in it. They drive us wherever we need to go, our meals are cooked for us, our laundry is done for us and we even have a backyard pool to swim in!
The backyard of our "home" here in Santa Ana.
Alberto is the song leader at the local Baptist church we are serving at this month. Almost every day of the week the church is involved in outreach ministry. On top of that, they attend an evening church service every night of the week. It seemed a bit overwhelming to me at first. I couldn’t imagine going to church that often at home. But it works here! The people serve with joy and the sense of community is powerful. It is so beautiful to see a church that is TRULY a family.
They hand out bread and hot chocolate to homeless people, minister at local schools, hospitals and prisons, deliver food to the children and families who live at a local landfill, and run a VBS Sunday School for underprivileged kids. This month we have been involved in all aspects of their outreach as well as attending church services every night of the week.
Some days we are up for breakfast at 6am and don’t get to bed until midnight. Other days it feels like we don’t have much to do. Alberto’s plans change constantly and we are often left in the dark about what we are doing the next day. We quickly had to learn to just go with the flow in most situations. We have also had to learn that Alberto’s idea of “cinco minutos” is quite different from ours.
VBS wouldn't be complete without a pinata!
Early on in the month we were told to start thinking about our testimonies and to start preparing sermons that we should be able to deliver on a moment’s notice. There would be opportunities to share at church, at the schools and possibly on a local television show.
I am not ashamed to admit that my first gut response was total fear. I hate public speaking. It is a rare moment that I feel comfortable opening up and being vulnerable. Some of my squad mates have powerful stories of how Jesus completely changed their lives, and I felt like my story wasn’t worth telling. However, the first few times they asked for volunteers I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I needed to step up and just DO IT. But every time I would hesitate for that extra second and watch someone else do it.
One day we were told that we wouldn’t have to give a testimony at a church service and I felt disappointed. I was so surprised to feel like that, it was just so unlike myself. As terrified and unsure of myself as I had initially felt, I knew God had given me my story and deep down I knew I was excited to share it.
The next time they asked for volunteers, I didn’t hesitate…and that afternoon I found myself sitting in a chair sharing my testimony on live television.
I was so nervous I didn’t even know what I was talking about at one point. I found that I had to really focus or else I would lose my train of thought waiting for the translator to explain what I had just said. I was so thankful to have Stephanie and Micah sitting next to me. They did a question and answer session about the World Race after I gave my testimony.
I told the story of how I first met Jesus at camp when I was 8 years old. I explained that being saved doesn’t make you perfect, I still sin every single day. But when God looks at me now, he sees his Son…and I have been made absolutely perfect through his blood. I explained how I had come from that little girl saying a prayer, to a young woman willing to give up a year of her life to put God first.
ON THE AIR!
In the grand scheme of things, it really was no big deal. I didn't have to preach, I just had to tell a simple story of how I met a man named Jesus. The entire program only lasted about 15 minutes, and I probably only spoke for 5 of those minutes.
However, if you know me at all you would know that this WAS a big deal for me!
“Pre-World Race Laura” would never have volunteered to do something like this. “Pre-World Race Laura” would have done EVERYTHING she could to avoid even going into that building. She would have let doubt, fear, anxiety or just plain laziness take over before the Holy Spirit had a chance to work through her.
So as often as I may fall back into the old habits of “Pre-World Race Laura”, it is NOT who I am anymore. I made a decision 6 months ago that I was ready to get out of my comfort zone, and here I am in month 2 of the World Race beginning a journey of saying “yes” to every opportunity that is put in front of me. I might always be the girl that hates public speaking, who gets shaky hands when she starts talking, and has sweat dripping down her face when the cameras start rolling. But, I REFUSE to be the girl that says “Someone else can do it” or “Maybe I will try tomorrow” to God.
There's nothing like a frozen chocolate banana after appearing on live TV!
