Hello from J-Bay, South Africa! It is now officially the halfway point of my race! I seriously cannot believe that I thought about this for 3 years and never thought I would be able to do it but here I am halfway through this journey. I am so very thankful that I was chosen to be a part of this whole thing. So to celebrate the halfway point of my journey, I decided to do a little recap. Here we go!
Month 1 Guatemala – October 2017
I lived in a hostel right outside of Antigua in a place called Cuidad Vieja. I did ministry at a local school called Cani. Ministry looked like trying to teach English in the mornings and helping build a soccer turf field in the afternoons. I had great ministry hosts, Jorge and Gabby, and was able to build relationships with the AIM (adventures in missions) staff that are in Guatemala long term. This month I fed the homeless, shared my testimony through a translator at a women’s group, prayed for random people I met, and started to understand the power of intercessory prayer. For adventures, I rode a horse to the top of a volcano and roasted marshmallows over the lava. I stayed in a lake house for a weekend and swam next to beautiful volcanos. I even went cliff jumping! I walked up to the Antigua cross overlooking the city multiple times and the view was always worth it. I found ruins inside Antigua that made for some of the most beautiful pictures. (Totally recommend checking them out if you are in the area.) The hardest part about this month was trying to learn how to live in community with my teammates and truly see them before myself. I didn’t do that very well at this point. The best part about this month was the relationships formed with the Aim Staff and Gabby and Sophia! I love when we get the opportunity to form relationships with the people we are working with.
Month 2 Nicaragua – November 2017
I lived on a small island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua called Ometepe. My ministry was a place called Cicrin which is a temporary placement home for local children in need. This was all squad month so all 22 of us were together all month. Ministry looked different each week. The first week I was there, my days were spent doing intercessory prayer. I learned what spiritual warfare really is and it changed the way in which I pray. I now pray bolder and with more assurance in the authority that I have in Christ. The other weeks were mostly spent raking leaves or cleaning up around the campus. This month was thanksgiving and I was pushed in my cooking skills. Not only was I cooking for around 30 people but I had very little space and couldn’t find any of the ingredients I would have liked to have. My biggest accomplishment on the race so far was making stuffing out of pancake mix and corn flour. I’m not sure how it worked but it did. For adventures this month I went zip lining. I now know that I do not enjoy zip lining and will not be joining in on any further adventures involving jumping off something and praying that the contraption you are attached to doesn’t break. I also took a weekend and went to Grenada when the plan was to go volcano boarding but I got sick and instead took the day to explore the city. I was able to climb up the towers of the local cathedrals and see some incredible views of the city. I got a tattoo from an incredible artist with an incredible story too. The hardest part about this month was the surrender that God was calling me into. God was showing me parts of my life that were unhealthy and calling me to deal with them. The best part about this month was the fruit that all the hardship bore. I couldn’t see it at the time but Nicaragua helped me far more than I could ever help it.
Month 3 Panama – December 2017
I lived in a hostel in Panama City. My ministry host was Shibu. Ministry looked like going into the Indian community and inviting them to come to our Christmas program. I loved this ministry so much because I got to do all types of things. I preached during one of the weekend services, shared my testimony multiple times during house visits, and got to eat copious amounts of Indian food. It was great! I helped a local church with their children’s program and even got to drive (oops) to an indigenous tribe and do a children’s program for them too. This month was Christmas and New Years. On Christmas, I got to help my team put on a Christmas program complete with songs and a skit (I got to be the Angel!) and then I got to come in and share the gospel message at the end. This program was performed for a room packed with Hindus and Muslims, most of which had never been invited to a Christmas before and some who had never heard the gospel. On New Years, a local family invited my team over for a traditional Indian barbecue. To make a really long story short, I ate (a lot) and had a great time feeling a part of their family. For adventures this month, I went to the Smithsonian nature park and then went to see the Panama Canal. The hardest part about this month was one of my teammates going to the hospital and ultimately having to go home to the states due to medical issues. It was hard to have my heart torn during the whole thing. The best part was Christmas Day. I felt like I was truly living out the great commission and sharing the gospel with those who needed it most. It was really a blessing to be able to impact that community in that way.
Month 4 Lesotho – January 2018
I lived at a place called Seed of Love which was a home for abused, neglected, or HIV/AIDS affected children in Maseru. Ministry looked like waking up and being at the children’s home at 5:30 a.m. to help the housemother’s prepare breakfast and get the kids bathed and dressed. After breakfast and cleaning up, I walked with the kids to school. The afternoons were for dance parties and hanging out with the kids and just making them feel seen and loved. This month was all about relationships. The one I made and will not soon forget was with a boy named Teboho. He was so kind hearted and sweet. He was one of the most pure people I’ve ever come across and I miss him so much. For adventures I explored the city, and hiked to the largest single drop waterfall in Africa. The hardest part about this month was seeing hunger. There were moments that were incredibly difficult for me because of the hunger that I saw and it still hurts my heart. The best part of this month was being able to fundraise and provide each child and staff member with their very own Bible. It was absolutely incredible to see the way God wanted to work through our communities at home to help impact these kids lives.
Month 5 Swaziland – February 2018
I lived at Blossom House in Manzini. I worked with a ministry called Hosea’s Heart. Hosea’s Heart is an organization that provides a home for girls who are sexually abused, trafficked, or in danger of any of those situations. Ministry looked like hanging out with the girls in the home and building relationships with them. I got the opportunity to make fundraising videos for Hosea’s Heart to help finish their new buildings that will allow them to expand how many girls they can take in. This month we really felt like family. We lived with Brittine, who is from Chicago and a past racer. We really felt like she was a part of our team and leaving was incredibly hard. Mary-Kate, the founder of Hosea’s Heart, welcomed us into her ministry and made us feel so important and trusted. I am so thankful I got to see and experience what they are doing in Manzini for these girls. This month I made videos, handed out Valentines to women working on street corners, learned new dance moves (they are pretty impressive), lead worship, and participated in a night of intercessory prayer for those women on the corners. For adventures I went on a safari! I saw elephants, lions, rhinos, and more. I went on another safari on accident. I went with the girls from the home to hike Execution Rock, which just so happens to be on a Big Game Park. So on our way there I saw zebras, fed a nyala, and saw baby pumbas! The hardest part about this month was seeing a demon manifestation and I’m honestly still trying to process it all and talk it out with God. The best part was during the going away party the girls threw for my team. One of the girls, Natasha, wrote and performed her own song for the first time for us. About halfway through her song I burst into tears as she starts singing to me. She sang of how God spoke to her through me. I think that is a moment I will always treasure.
Month 6 South Africa – March 2018
I live in the most amazing city, Jeffrey’s Bay. I am literally across the street from the ocean in a beautiful apartment. I am working with an organization called Global Challenge which is basically South Africa’s World Race. They actually both started at the same time when they joined together for the first mission. Ministry looks like doing some form of manual labor in the mornings, and going in the afternoons to a program called Beats and Books. Beats and Books helps kids with homework, teaches them to play an instrument like the violin or guitar, and teaches them their alphabet and how to read. We get to lead worship and help teach the kids. For adventures so far, I have taking a surfing lesson which I have loved. I went to super tubes, where they host major surfing competitions. I’m right by the beach so really I don’t need to do much else because my heart is happy to just sit and stare at the waves. I love the community atmosphere here. I have been here for less than 2 weeks and already I have been invited to 4 different churches. I have been to 2 braais and had dinner with a local Christian Surfer community called C SALT. (It stands for something but I don’t remember what.) I’ve been to a house church where we stopped on our way to sing a lullaby to a couple who just had a baby. I’ve been to a thing called Loft Session which is just a worship session for the community inside of a local coffee shop. I participated in a 5K and that’s just a peak into what I’ve been up to.
This journey is halfway over and I can definitely tell you that I am not the same person I was when I left for it. God has been doing some amazing things in my life and in my walk with him. My faith is stronger than I ever thought possible. I hear and understand what the voice of the Lord sounds like to me and I’m learning how to trust in what He has for me. I am starting to understand community more and what I need to do to be a positive working part of it. Most of all I’m learning how to walk in who God is calling me to be and to walk in the authority I have been given. I don’t know what the rest of this race holds for me but I know I am willing to keep pushing in. I have 2 more weeks left in Africa and then its off to Asia. I have 5 1/2 more months to go. It seems like a long time and like no time at all. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me.
