Over the past 5 months, I’ve been to the Dominican Republic to Haiti to Thailand to Malaysia and now to Cambodia. Each country has had its’ up and downs and it hasn’t always included the most comfortable lifestyle, but it’s been so worth leaving home to follow God out into the world. I’ve prayed for the sick, spoke the Gospel, fell in love with the people of each country, seen the hopeless redeemed and restored, done a lot of physical labor, and along the way watched God changing me through each experience. I am blessed to be the hands and feet of Jesus through the ministries we have been working with.
My favorite times on the race have been the unexpected moments when God places people in our path and we get to just interact and love the people God puts in our lives. One of my favorites was in Haiti; meeting and naming baby Isaac and watching God completely transform his family over the next 2 weeks. (you can read the story here.) In Thailand we worked in the red light district and that’s where we met Lamyai on the very first night. We became friends and she ended up leaving her job at the bar, in the process telling a few of her coworkers about the opportunities the ministry we worked with offers.
Here in Cambodia, we live in a dorm with a bunch of university girls from our church here. There are about 25 of them and they are so excited about us being here even though we take up their space and we are all crammed together. My favorite ministry this month has been hanging out with and getting to know them. I have never met people who are so willing to sit down and start telling you their life story and testimony. Hearing their stories has given me a new appreciation for them too…at first glance, they are normal, giddy girls who like to talk about boys and hair. But when you hear about their lives, you realize that these girls have given up a lot to follow Jesus. They are all from rural villages and the only Christian churches and communities are in the bigger cities, so they leave their homes for their faith. Some of them are even looked down upon in their communities and families for believing in Jesus. I’m going to be very sad to leave them at the end of this month.
More than anything, I’ve seen God change me throughout this journey. I’ve even seen him change my family. For me the race has been about God breaking down walls in me that I didn’t even realize were there, learning to love people better, letting go of control and things I hold onto, and learning to live in community – all of which I am still learning. I’m so excited for Africa and can’t wait to see what God has in store for us there! That being said, I’m still $3,167 away from my final deadline on March 1st. Please help keep me on the field! You can donate by clicking the link on the left hand side of this page. Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement, and prayers!
Love and miss you all,
-Lynn
