Last month was an "Ask the Lord" month. We weren't placed with a local ministry, we had the choice to go to either Botswana or Namibia and ask the Lord where he wanted us to go and who to work with. When our team prayed, we heard Botswana AND Namibia. We had made connections in both countries and had hopeful hearts.
Our team was unsung heroes during month 5 in Malaysia. We had met a couple people from Botswana at church one day (thinking it would be cool to see them again one day or meet their friends when our squad would go to Botswana-month 10) and now we actually were able to see the Lord re-unite us 5 months later!
We contacted our friends from Botswana and were instantly connected. We had reached out to a family in Namibia that we found through searching for orphanages. I was able to skype Steve a couple times and make arrangements. For two months we talked back and forth about who we were, what the world race is, and how The Lord had led us to them. We made arrangements and it was set.
Our team had made plans – two weeks in Botswana and two weeks in Namibia. This was gonna be great! BUT….as we got closer we realized that the budget wasn't quite working out as we had planned. After figuring out logistics with the World Race – we were told it would be a miracle if we could get to Namibia because our budget was already over. After figuring out with everything in us how to make it work – it just wouldn't. Transportation, lodging, food, everything was over. I had to send Steve an email saying after all the planning that we were not coming.
There had been several "we can't come, maybe we can, no, yes" emails sent back and forth.
I later received an e-mail from our friends in Namibia saying Food and Lodging and Transportation would be covered! WHAT!? Talk about that MIRACLE. So we said our goodbyes to our friends in Botswana (which was extremely hard). They were like family to us, we fit right in and became super close those three weeks and now forever. This is how you know its a God thing when you relinquish even whats good to take the next step for what He has. As we gave up looking and figuring out how we could make it with our tight budget, our loving Father steps in and shows His glory. We only had a week in Namibia. But wow – everyday I sat back and saw how orchestrated it was for us to be there that week. We worked with the Graham family and went out to the dump site and another location site everyday where we would do a "VBS" with the kids. We loved on them, told them they were children of God, and prayed over them. Seeing the poverty was rough, my long ponytail became a kleenex for tears and little runny noses. Also, that week my teammate (Jenna) got to share her testimony with 700 high school students and after the talk we were able to pray for some. The freedom and opportunities we had were divinely appointed EVERY single day! People in the church would randomly surprise us with lunch, dinners, and extra supply money for ministry. Our team got to stay with families. We had beds, hot tea, and mom and dad hugs every night 🙂
It was an incredible month. I could tell you a thousand stories and God was completely in it! We were so thankful for this opportunity to completely rely on asking him where to go and what to do. It's an amazing experience and you get to chase after an incredible adventure!
