We made it to month 11, friends. What a wild ride these last 10 months have been. It’s especially strange to meet travelers, swap stories, and realize how far out my life actually is sometimes.
The Lord has been reminding me how although the World Race is ending soon, there’s always more with Him. There’s more far out stories to share. More dependence on my end. More provision on His. More love to be shared upward, downward, sideways, and every which way He points. More fellowship with this special community and friends anew. There’s more; thank God.
Ministry in month 11 looks different than the any other. World Race leadership has decided to shake things up to better prepare us for reentry, so we have said goodbye to organized hosts, assigned ministry, and day-to-day human direction. Our host is the Holy Spirit, and our only job is to follow his prompting.
We landed in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday with a $40 travel budget to get us to Bali for final debrief in mid June. We were free to go anywhere within these borders, live with anyone, and find any ministry we felt God leading us to.
Now I know what you may have some thoughts on this. What does that even mean, Kenzie? That sounds so abstract. Are you in LaLaland? Is that even safe?! How do you stay focused? What if you don’t find ministry?
These questions are valid. Trust me, I had questions like this too. After living almost a whole year of abandoning the American dream, increasing dependence on the Father for my physical, spiritual, and emotional needs to be met, and seeing first hand that the world is not as scary as we think, I understand the why behind this seemingly hippie-dippie approach to missions.
I remember when I used to think being a Christian would be boring. It’s quite the opposite, I’ve learned. What could be more adventurous than declaring full trust in God completely empty handed and waiting on Him to come through. Sure, it’s risky. It was also risky for Jesus to die on a cross for people who might still reject Him. Still, the cons don’t negate the pros, even if there is some failure, some rejection, some messiness.
As we are stepping into more tangible dependence on God, I can’t help but think of Jesus’ words when He taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6.
“Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.”
After prayer and some brainstorming, my team decided to head straight to the island of Bali for the month to make Ubud our temporary home. You may know this little town from the movie Eat, Pray, Love, which I should probably get around to watching someday now that I’m here. Backpackers flock to this town all year long, and many of them are seeking something bigger than themselves. If we’ve learned anything about travel, it’s that people always have a reason for why they’re doing it. With such a prevalent spiritual climate, Ubud seemed like a good home base for us to build relationships and do life with tourists and locals.
My team is living in an Airbnb on a Balinese family compound. On this island, property is passed down from generation to generation. Often a family’s compound will also have a Balinese-Hindu temple complete with various altars and daily food offerings. It’s so special to live in close quarters with this family and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our team is staying at this specific place. I’m excited to see God open doors for us to reveal His love as we share life with them.
We officially started our Ask the Lord (ATL) ministry on Monday and I have been delighted to see how the Lord has used us here already.
I want to give you an authentic look at what an ATL month can look like on the World Race (or for you, wherever you may be). I’m learning the art of keeping it simple, and I want you to know that ministry does not need to be this grandiose, organized thing. We are called to love God and love people, so that’s what I’m doing this month.
Here’s a glimpse into my Monday:
5:30am – I woke up for a sunrise prayer walk with Abby and Jenna in a nearby rice field. After working with the house of prayer last month, we want to intentionally intercede for this country, island, town, and all of its people. I was so filled with God’s peace after taking the time to commune with Him and my teammates first thing in the morning.
7:30am – We arrived back at our Airbnb for some coffee, breakfast, and time with Jesus.
9am – The team met to discuss a rough schedule for the month. We worked out some details for team times, team ministry days (versus going in six different directions), off days, and other expectations.
Side note: I love this team of women so much! They’re truly incredible. Check out their blogs in the left column to read their stories from the month.
10:30am – I was ready to get out, explore this town, and hopefully meet some people on the streets or in coffee shops. Abby and I headed out in search of a place to get lunch and hopefully meet some fellow travelers.
We didn’t really know which direction would be best, so we turned left and kept walking. After some searching, we agreed on a little cafe hosting a few locals. It was at this time that I remembered a handy app that I used once when I worked at Nantahala Outdoor Center. I redownloaded Couchsurfing, updated my profile, and started exploring. This app is mostly used for finding a free place to crash, but there is a Hangouts tab where people can post events, activities, or meet ups they’re looking to do with new friends.
There were a few backpackers who were looking for friends to explore the area with, and we began chatting to make plans. Half an hour later, Abs and I were on our way to a water temple to meet our soon-to-be-friend from Argentina. Carol was lively, friendly, and easygoing. We hung out with her for a while before parting ways and heading black to our hostel. We knew our Airbnb host family would be celebrating a Hindu holiday the next day, so we invited her to come by and try some local Balinese food with us.
Though we didn’t have a chance to dig into deep spiritual conversation, it was a big win for us to get our feet wet and put ourselves out there. If relational ministry is the direction we’re going in (I believe ministry should always be based on relationships), it’s important that I put myself out there, take risks, and wait for the Lord to show up. I left Carol feeling encouraged and excited.
3pm – The team met back at the Airbnb to debrief our day. It was awesome to hear each of my teammates talk about how they partnered with God, explored the area, and found people and places to invest in this month. We decided that Couchsurfing Hangouts could be an incredible tool for meeting locals and travelers to do life with during our time in Ubud.
We asked if any other Couchsurfers would like to meet us for dinner at a local warung (cheap eatery) that night. Pretty soon after, a few people reached out and we were making another set of plans with possible new friends.
5pm – We all started our trek to the warung to meet our other soon-to-be-friend Garrett. Turns out he is from Georgia, loves Jesus, and has supported many friends on the World Race! This encounter was incredibly encouraging and reassuring that God can and is indeed using a travel app to open doors for us in Bali.
7:30pm – We finished the night with a game of Hand and Foot. If you’ve never played this card game, you should try it out. It’s a v-squad favorite!
Later this week, I’m going to meet up with people to host a Bible study in a local cafe. This is a big deal as there is almost no Christian presence in this entire city. I’m praying for God to draw people in to know Him through this Bible study.
Needless to say, I learned a few things on our first day of ATL.
First, I saw the benefit of taking risks. If you’ve never tried Couchsurfing, I can see why this method of meeting people could concern you. Not that it’s necessary, but I want to assure you that we are smart, witty, and careful women. We also know that the Holy Spirit acts as our guide, and we will hear from Him as we pray and consider who to spend our days with. Yeah, it’s risky, but if taking that risk opens a door for someone to know the love and grace of Jesus, I’m willing to go there.
Second, I learned, again, that ministry does not need to be put in a box. I think we put a lot of expectations on outcomes or what it needs to look like, but truly, Jesus’ ministry was much more simple than that. Because of His closeness with the Father, He could tangibly love people through fellowship, teaching, healing, and meeting their physical needs. Every person in this world needs the saving knowledge of Jesus, but sometimes a formal organization can’t reach everyone. That’s okay. This is why we are all called to be missionaries whether we work in a local church or in a massive corporation. If Couchsurfing is the chosen avenue for God to work, so be it.
I challenge you to ask the Lord where He is leading you today. Who is He calling you to tangibly love? You are where you are for a time such as this. Why not make use of the present moment? Take a risk and wait on the Lord show up.
I can’t wait to share more stories from what God reveals to me through ministry this month. I encourage you to share the ways God is revealing himself to you, too!
Love and blessings,
McKenzie
