I’m sitting on the front porch of the cutest little house that reminds me of Greece with a beautiful view of a plateaued mountain in the distance located in the southern region of Malawi, Africa in a town by the name of Zomba.
This is the first time on the race that I actually felt led or inspired or something to write a blog. I apologize for not sending out updates for the past 5 months, but I’ve been living and experiencing a vast amount of different and new things that I didn’t believe I could formulate into words that would sufficiently describe and explain these occurrences.
For the sake of an update on El Salvador: it was many different things. First of all, being in a different country with a different culture that viewed matters much differently than America was new. The first month and a half brought more personal growth than anything else. God introduced me into how to find my identity in Him. I was taught to start putting my worth in Him, rather than in the people that I associated myself with, their opinions, or on worldly matters. I was taught patience in the hard situations that I have no control over. I was taught the beginning stages of how to live in community. The ministry during this time had its ups and downs, but truth be told, there isn’t too much to say except for the fact that the mere presence of us, being Americans and all, is taken differently by different people. But through these differences and the language barrier, I learned to love those people just the same, trying to build relationships with them and speak as much Spanish as I knew at the time. Sometimes you don’t see the impact that you make on a person’s life, until you do, in the little moments. And even if we don’t clearly see the impact, we just have to trust that God used us in the way that He intended to in those situations.
The World Race looked a lot different than whatever I had imagined it to look like during this time, and although it wasn’t easy, it was in God’s plan for my team and myself to be there. During debrief, a month and a half in, the race shifted a little for us. We moved locations to live with another all girls team in the little surf town of La Playa El Tunco. The second half of El Salvador looked much different than the first. I learned, slowly but surely, how to live with and love and enjoy friendship with girls. It wasn’t the easiest lesson to learn, but I couldn’t be more happy to have those close, Jesus loving friends, who accept every little weird, annoying, beautiful thing about me. We got the opportunity to become a part of the community and become a “local” for the short time we were there. I slept outside in a tree house type thing in my eno hammock. Jesus started teaching me during my time there how to sit and just be in His presence – how to fully embrace Him. He started teaching me what it looks like to LOVE people, even when I was frustrated with the stubborn younger kids while trying to teach them the days of the week in English. He was teaching me what it looks like to truly love unconditionally.
And after a layover in the states and an extremely long plane ride with absolutely no sleep and then another layover in Ethiopia, I’m somehow in Malawi, Africa. I’ve been here for two months, and to sum it up… All I can say is wow. The people here welcomed us and loved us so well that we were forced to, if we didn’t already, truly and fully love ourselves. Our “I haven’t showered or looked in a mirror in a week but I’m just gonna laugh and embrace this situation” selves.
But honestly, these people are inspiring. They live with simplicity and with the mindset that you have to work hard and passionately to get to where you want to be. Their faith is outstanding because they have no choice but to rely on the Lord for everything because they aren’t handed anything. The way they sing, with such harmony and symphony, is stunning. The way they worship the same God as I do is eye opening. And the way they carry things on their head with a baby tied to their back while somehow keeping their wrappa tied around them is so freaking impressive!! Their language, Chichewa, is pretty difficult for us English speakers. And their currency, kwacha, is quite annoying, if we’re being honest. But their hearts for Jesus are so beautiful, passionate, on fire, and full of joy. The children here bring me so much life. They long to be loved on, held, and played with. They find happiness and contentment in whatever they have in front of them. And if I had to sum up one thing that Africa has showed me so far, it’s how to love well.
I am finding my identity in Christ. I know, understand and believe in the truths that He says about me. I know that I am beautiful, beloved, blessed, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, saved, created, and made alive.
I thank my Father that He allows me to see the beauty in the small, intricate details of His creation. That I see a situation, and He challenges me to take it a step further and ask the difficult questions. That He has blessed me with patience. That He has given me a loving heart for the people I encounter. I’m continuing to seek relationship with Him, asking for His eyes and ears in all areas of my life. And asking for strength and confidence when sharing His Word to a group of people; to express and share with all of my heart and passion for Him. I am thankful that He gives me incredible grace when I disobey Him and return to the ways of the world, and that He welcomes me back with open arms.
I can’t promise to send more updates than I have been, because I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I will surely try! If you have questions about what I’ve been doing or want to talk at all about anything, I would absolutely LOVE to get in contact with you!! Wifi is pretty limited, so the best way to contact me would be through Facebook message, or email ([email protected]).
THANK YOU to all of my supporters. I literally would not be here in another country with food, housing, and transport to ministry without all of you. And thank you for your patience with my lack of blog posts. J Please be in prayer for my squad as we finish up our last month here in Africa – that we show these people all the love of Jesus that we are able to.
Thank you!!
Lauren
