11 Things – Europe

The second leg of this race is coming to a close as we prepare to leave Europe and head to Africa. It's crazy to think that I've been in Europe almost as long as I was in Asia! It's been four crazy but wonderful months, in which we have been surrounded by tall white people, a stark contrast from Asia.

Here are 11 things that God taught me during my time in Eastern Europe.

1) God taught me how to love offensive, sexist men.
2) I learned that He is indeed my safety and my security.
3) He showed me what it truly means to surrender my life to Him.
4) I learned how to serve joyfully and prefer others.
5) The Lord taught me that it's ok to dream big dreams.
6) I learned that God DOES give us more than we can handle, otherwise we would have no need to lean on Him.
7) He revealed to me part of His plan for my life.
8) He confirmed in me that it's good to love until it hurts.
9) I learned how to reach new depths with my team.
10) God helped me practice self control and patience.
11) The Lord started teaching me about interpreting dreams.

I never expected to fall in love with Europe, or even enjoy it here to be quite honest. But I do love Europe, and I am going to miss it so much. Here are some specific ways you can be praying for each of the countries we visited in Eastern Europe.

Albania – Please pray for freedom and gender equality. In many of the villages, it is very difficult for women to choose their paths in life. Pray that the women would find their identity in Christ, and pray for God to soften the hearts of all the men.

Serbia – Unemployment is a major concern, so please be in prayer for the younger generation. Also pray for the recent floods that have been so destructive.

Romania – Please pray for all the Roma (gypsy) people that are shunned and treated poorly. Pray for a spirit of acceptance to flood people's hearts. Also please pray for financial provision as many families are living in harsh conditions.

Ukraine – Please continue to pray for the political unrest in the Eastern part of Ukraine. Also pray for God to unleash His Holy Spirit among the orthodox people. There is a lot of spiritual warfare in this region.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We will be traveling to Poland tonight and flying to Africa in just TWO days! I'm so excited for what's to come. Two months left!

Note: Our whole squad will be living and working at El Shaddai Orphanage in Swaziland next month, and we will not have Internet.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our past four months in Eastern Europe: