Merry Christmas everyone!!
I just wanted to shares some of my thoughts that have been running through my head this month of December. Some of them have to do with Christmas, some about what God is doing, and some are just random things I want to catch you up on. Enjoy!
ONE: Each year my perspective on Christmas changes. This year has been very different for obvious reasons but I feel like I have a clear vision on what this celebration should really be about. I had the opportunity to share something God put on my heart with some college students. It was our “Christmas Eve church service” and during worship I went up to the stage and shared Gods heart. I basically talked about how this is a season of lifting up Jesus’ birth. Lifting his life up consists of praising him in all he has done and the way we praise is by speaking his name. I got everyone to stand up and share one thing he had done for them in the past week. I said it might be uncomfortable because you might not know who you are standing by, but me standing up here in front of all of you, sharing all of this was uncomfortable but God called me too so I said yes. Lifting him up for everything he has done is a beautiful thing and it’s the least we can do. We praised his name by simple speaking his name aloud. People try to complicate it when it doesn’t need to be. Christmas is a time of giving thanks to the one who deserves all the praise, even in the little things like what he does for each of us on a weekly basis. During this time I had the opportunity to pray with my brother, Brandon and the Lord brought to my attention how good he really is! We don’t need Christmas trees, presents, and decorations, we don’t even need the big feast with the family. These are all things our flesh desires and because God loves us enough he gives us the desires of our hearts. So being here our flesh longed for the Christmas trees and traditions. God knowing these things about us, he gave us the opportunity to see a tree, we held a Christmas program with lights, we even had a candle lighting with friends. He is so BIG and GOOD we got sprinkles of our usual Christmas traditions in a place where Christmas isn’t even celebrated! So while we are supposed to be focused on him, on his own birthday he is focused on showing us grace along with giving us the desires of our flesh.
TWO: I know everyone has been asking me how my Christmas went and I just wanted to say it was the best Christmas yet! Our team went out and bought each other gifts and put them in Christmas hats instead of stockings which was so cute. I brought a Christmas tree from Costa Rica which made our room very festive. We had a big Christmas meal with our squad, mashed potatoes, asparagus, steak, bread, ugh it was so good! Then our leaders of ministry came over and we played white elephant! It was gifts like snacks, toothpaste, face masks, hand sanitizer, cookies, anything you could think of. Like I said before we did have a Christmas Eve service where we got to play Silent Night and light our candles. We turned all the fans off because they kept blowing out the candles but then we all got so hot we were miserable so we turned them back on even though the candles when out. It was very Cambodian Christmas which made me laugh. Then Christmas night our team showered and we turned the air conditioning on as we sat around the mini tree with our Santa hats full of gifts. We took turns opening one thing as we were eating candy canes that we put on the tree. I got face masks, q-tips, candy, bracelets, cards from everyone, and hot coco. It was so fun because everyone got different things, it was special because we all truly know each other enough to get personalize gifts. Then we all opened our hot coco, we pushed our beds together, put candy canes in our drinks, grabbed the cookies and watched Elf! My Christmas was different but in the best possible way. I had a Cambodian Christmas and it was full of the Lords love, new things, and family. It was the best thing I could have ever asked for!
THREE: Just a couple random things… I have stopped contacting my family until Swaziland because I believe he wants me to be 100% here and he wants to redefine what being HIS daughter means. I have been very obedient and faithful in what the Lord is asking me to do. In my obedience, God shed some light on his faithfulness towards me. Leaving Costa Rica I prayed for life to get challenging and for him to hit me with the big stuff because I want to just grow as much as possible. I know what you are thinking, that a bold prayer Madison, yes I know. God is doing it though, life is challenging, difficult, tiring, but I am learning things I wouldn’t be if life was easy. I’m being obedient through these challenges and doing I’m doing it with him in the forefront of my mind which is all he asks.
With all this being said, I just wanted to send one last Merry Christmas to you all and a very happy New Years! During this New Year I’m just asking for an abundance of prayers. For myself, I’m asking for comfort through this time of not talking to my family. I also want to pray for a new level of focus on hearing the Lords voice as he pushes me. I pray for health over my body because I have been feeling sick lately, and lastly just prayers for my whole team!
I officially want to introduce you to my team ! ! ! I want to show their beauty and who God says they are. This New Year is all about the power of prayer so I asked my teammates to send me there prayer requests. So, as you read the funny stories I have with all of these pictures I ask that you would take a second to pray over them in what they are needing.
HANNAH BOLITHO
Nickname: Hannah Banana
My stories with Hannah are always so precious. One time I asked to have a one on one with her which was my first one with her. Yes she was my leader but I saw her as more of a sister than anything. Around lunch time we made our sandwiches and had a picnic on our balcony. We just talked about how life was going, what the Lord was doing, goals we had, fun stories we have already made, even our struggles. I love every second of being in her presence! It was a really joyful time for me to be able to rest while growing relationship. I love having intimate conversation and Hannah is the one to go too! THANKS HAN I MISS YOU
Her gifting: She is gifted in leading others with a filter of doing only what Christ would. She is gifted in loving people well and out of overflow. She has a spirit of gentleness, self control, love, even the presence of peace.
Prayer Request: As she made her way back to the United States for the first time in over a year, she is asking for peace in this transition!
AMANDA BALTODANO
Nickname: Mandy
My sweetest stories are with this tender friend of mine. One time I was stressing out about not having a specific dance ready for ministry. A lot of bad kept happening back to back and I was very overwhelmed. Mandy came over to me and hugged me and rubbed my back. She encouraged me to keep going, she told me it was going to be okay and my team had my back. She held me and I immediately felt peace. It was a really special moment because I felt my heavenly Father through my sister in Christ! I dried my tears up and we rocked that dance class!
Her gifting: She is gifted in having the Lords comfort, she can calm you down with a hug that feels like the fathers arms are around you. She has the ability to listen to the Lords directions when she needs to comfort someone for the Lord. She is obedient, she speaks when needed but with confidence. She is gifted in being the lords love and comfort on this earth!
Prayer Request: She wants to fully step into who God wants her to be and to carry strength into ministry with the kids.
BRITTNEY DEAN
Nickname: Britt
Heres another funny story for you all! On our way to debrief in Costa Rica, our squad had rented another big bus. Brittney gets sick very easily but I didn’t know that she gets car sick as well. I don’t even know is she knew she did either so the whole situation happened very fast. We were probably 5 minutes away from being there and we all were so excited so we rolled the windows down and stuck our heads out. The girls in the back started laughing and screaming so I turned my head around and saw Brittney drinking a juice box. She was saying I’m going to throw up, I’m going to throw up, as she was laughing. I stuck my head out the window and saw Brittney with half her body out the window still drinking her juice box and gaging. The wind was blowing her hair, cheeks, and juice everywhere. Man, I’ve never been more conserned yet full of laughter all in one moment. Brittney Dean you are a special women.
Her gifting: She is gifted in joy. She has the ability to change people’s moods into Godly driven ones. Joy and love comes easy to her. She is always working out of a place of overflow. I can physically feel the warmth from God when I’m around her sometimes and that can only happen when the Holy Spirit is leading you. She is a walking smile
Prayer Request: She asks that you pray for complete health, its been hard for her to find peace here. She’s been in the hospital the majority of my time being here so pray for restoration in her soul. She wants to find peace and joy in the midst of a physically painful time.
KIMBERLYN PORTER
Nickname: Kimbo
Heres a story that you just had to be there for! Kimbo and I were walking to ministry trying to sing Christmas music, but with the accent that the songs are sang in. Why? I don’t know but when me and Kimbo are together we get so extra sometimes, its the best! So we sang Santa Baby with our heads high and our arms locked together. We walked for a while singing as loud as possible as our other arm stroked the air awkwardly. Let me tell you I’ve never laughed so hard. We started wheezing so hard words wouldn’t come out. I love that girl and our moments together.
Her gifting: She is gifted in the prophetic, she gives words of encouragement, and she hears the Lord well. She uses her passions to write our team encouraging letters that are always straight from the Lord.
Prayer Request: She wants to have endurance, especially as we move through the middle three months of the race. Pray against spiritual warfare that our team and squad keeps facing. Please be keeping her family in your prayers as well, they are going through a season of transition. Pray that they would keep their eyes on the lord. Most importantly, that he would keep them unified in reminding them that the battle isn’t against flesh and blood.
NICOLE STEPP
Nickname: Nicolay Frijole
Funny story, our squad was headed back home from spending about 5 days in Talamanca, the jungle in Costa Rica. We had just made a pit stop at a gas station where we bought chocolate cake. When we got back into the bus Nicole said it would be funny if she actually had to poop because we had a long way to go. Then a couple minutes later IT HIT HER, she had to shout to the front of the bus that they had to stop again. Nobody heard her so she spoke so clearly that it could be translated. She yelled that if she didn’t get the bus stopped she was going to shart herself! So he finally pulled over and Nicole with the poop sweats ran/waddled to the gas station bathroom. As she was releasing this chocolate cake from her stomach I wrote good job Nicole in the dirt of the window. It was a good laugh!
Her gifting: Nicole is gifted in the prophetic & she has the ability to see vivid images. She gives away everything the Lord gives with such eases.
Prayer Request: She wants to be able to surrender every part of her life, big and small. She wants whatever the Lord has for her.
LOUISA CURRIE
Nickname: Lou
I love this girl so much, and so far this is my favorite story. On our last night in Costa Rica me and Lou were trying to stay awake for our early flight! Our friend Daniel, who was our translator gave us some yoga mats for a class we taught. He forgot to pick them up so me and Lou got them out and put them in the middle of our floor. We started making up our own moves, position, even doing some stunts. We were so tired about an hour into our yoga but Kimbo turned on some soothing music and we just kept going. I enjoyed laughing so much, it really took the stress away. Our Costa Rica room held so many memories.
Her gifting: She is gifted in prayer, she has the ability to fearlessly pray over anyone the lord asks. She prays the words the Lord wants her to speak. She is very intentional, very confident, and very obedient in her prayers.
Prayer Request: She wants to trust the Lord with her fundraising. She wants to continue serving out of a place of overflow and to walk through everyday being filled up on the love of Jesus. She is wanting prayer for peace towards her future and to stay in good health.
