The last 3 months have been filled with incredible moments with Q squad, but have included new experiences with the heart of God. Here are a few stories from months in India, Nepal and South Africa.
Month 1 in India was full of learning the ropes of Squad Leading and getting to know the sQuad. The entire squad was with one host, so it was a great month for getting to know everyone but very exhausting! It was my first experience with Buddhism and in the Eastern world. The part of India we visited isn’t the India you might think of. It is an eastern area separated from the rest of India and populated with Chinese, Burmese and people of Asian descent. The Myanmar(Burma) border was right over a mountain range from us. One day at ministry with a team, we went to a hospital that was Christian. We began to prayer walk and pray for patients. At first, the team was hesitant to pray but as we continued they became more and more confident. One of the guys decided to pray over a door to a private room. All the sudden the door opened and a woman invited us in. Her sister had just given birth the day before and was sitting on the bed. The newborn baby was in a deep box snuggled in by many layers of blankets. It was almost as if they had to dig to find him when they showed us his little fresh new face. It was her first born and she had a few complications. She explained that she owned a store and needed to get back so that she could run it. They also had not named the baby, so we had the chance to pray over her business and dedicate the baby to Jesus! First time I have done that! It was amazing to feel the overwhelming presence of the Father and His heart for this little family. One of the girls with me had received a vision while I was praying. She saw the baby as a sickle for harvesting wheat, for the Kingdom of God. The family was so blessed.
Month 2 in Nepal was a crazy month of sickness throughout the squad and I didn’t feel normal the entire month. Again, we were living all together in 5 story house. But despite sickness and preparing teachings for the squad, I was able to participate in ministry a few times. One day was a Hindu holiday for the god of destruction. He is also the god of marijuana so they would smoke it or put it in cookies and sell it. Even little children were high. We split up into teams and rode on buses with the masses to the temple. I am never seen such a large crowd of people. They were in lines waiting for hours to offer sacrifices. The heaviness of demonic oppression was so strong. Our hosts told us that we could be beaten or put in jail but we were going to go out. (By the way, no one was beaten or put in jail) It was the first time I had been faced with even the thought of being physically persecuted for the gospel. At first I experienced fear, but then I felt honor and excitement. That’s when I felt the Holy Spirit take over. We rode a bus, sang songs and ministered to people, praying for them and telling them about Jesus. When we got off the bus and started walking, we ran into a man who our guide began to talk with. Whenever there is a group of people talking, and especially when there are foreigners, a crowd forms very quickly. The man had pain in his right arm and could barely move it. We prayed for healing and boom he was healed! He was able to move it! As our local guide, Bipin, was speaking with him he felt like this man had a daughter by a certain name. His daughter-in-law had that name! The Lord had given Bipin this name a few days before, so he wrote her name in a gospel of John and carried it around. I had the opportunity to share about Jesus with two people that day. And then, when we were on the bus heading home, I pulled out my very simple team phone to check the time. A guy about my age who was standing in the aisle next me got really excited and commented on my phone. He exclaimed how finally someone else had a dumb phone like him! He then said how it was his only phone, expecting that because I was a foreigner that it wouldn’t be my only phone. I responded by saying that I didn’t have another one either! He was shocked and we started small talk. He and his friends asked if I was a Christian, because they thought all foreigners and people from the US are Christians. I than began to explain that not everyone in the US are Christians. Many say they are or go to church but don’t actually know Jesus and have a relationship with Him. As we were getting into a good conversation, we had to get off the bus. The guys were sad and said they wanted to talk more. As they drove away, we waved and I prayed that it would be a seed and that the Lord would use that conversation to spark their desire to know more. I learned so much about God’s love by being in Nepal. I felt His love so deeply for a people who search persistently for truth and yet miss where it truly lies.
Month 3 in South Africa is very much like home. Most everyone speaks English, you can flush toilet paper, drink the water and occasionally walk barefoot in beach towns! I love the culture. It reminded me of my love for Panama because of the similarities in racial diversity. I have been able to be with 3 teams this month and get a taste of different ministries. I have seen the hand of God in all three teams as He works in the hearts of individuals and draws them closer to Himself. As teams unify, people work through brokenness, and as refinement is evident, it is a blessing to watch it all play out. One day when I was hiking Table Mountain in Capetown with team and their hosts, I had an opportunity to talk with one of the church interns. We began talking about the Holy Spirit, healings and what it looks like to be obedient to the promoting of the Spirit. He was just telling me about his desire to see more healings and be obedient to promptings when another guy from the church caught up with us. He had been trailing behind because he apparently had some bad cramps in his legs. He sat down on a rock in a lot of pain. I looked at the first kid and told him “now is the time to step out in faith and pray for healing. You are going to pray for him and we are going to see God work”. I felt the Spirit prompt me that he was going to use this kid to heal the other so that He could experience the power, glory and faithfulness of God. So we layed hands on him and prayed. The guy receiving prayer felt a rush through his legs and he didn’t have cramps the rest of the way down! I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but the more I see of the Lord, the more I get excited and blown away at His power and majesty!
There were obviously many beautiful and heartbreaking things that I have seen, but those are a few stories of my past three months! I just love seeing God work all over the world! Traveling to more places has helped me see even more of God’s heart and love for the nations and each and every person.
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I am still in need of $1200 by May 15th so that I can go visit the squad in July!
