This blog is a testimony of the power of persistent pr@yer for those loved ones who are not walking with G0d. F@ith is a funny thing. There are moments when we are on a mountain top knowing that we serve an all powerful G0d whose love is boundless and then there are valleys where we forget the mountain tops even existed. This blog is a charge to continue to pr@y for our loved ones after we do not see results for days, months, or even years. This is a story about how G0d is changing my sister Stephanie through the world race.
Lets start from the beginning. My sister and I accepted J3sus on the same night at an orphanage in Mexico called Rancho 3M. We both had struggles with f@ith growing up in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. I had huge struggles with anxiety and depression throughout middle school, which led me back to G0d through a camp called Eagle Lake. G0d built a foundation of faith during my summers at Eagle Lake, but Steph was torn between her catholic school teachings and our non-denominational church. Not being sure what she believed in, she understandably didn’t want to have anything to do with the church. For years my family has been praying for her. She has always been an loving, caring, and supportive sister, but it felt like my family was a puzzle under G0d and she was the missing piece we were waiting to come home. There were high points of faith where I was praying daily for her to walk with G0d again and lower points when I was praying less based on her interest level. The important thing is that we have never stopped praying for her.
During my senior year of college, my sister made a good friend while travel nursing in Denver. Her friend was her roommate and had an entire Southeast Asia trip planned for the upcoming year. Around this time, I had just applied for the race and knew I would be in Southeast Asia for 5 months if I got accepted. With G0d there are no coincidences, and us being the same part of the world on two separate trips was no coincidence. Our journeys looked very different, but I believe most travelers are in search of the same things: exploration, adventure, fulfillment, and answers. She enjoyed the backpacker route but began to discover the harsh reality that even with all the adventures and thrills one cannot be truly satisfied without G0d. This happened around the same time she started clashing with her travel buddy.
Growing up in the states my life was a roller coaster filled with many serious ups and downs, but things always went really smooth for her. “It was a blessing and a curse,” she says. A blessing that she didn’t face much adversity, but a curse in that it made her believe she didn’t need God. I called her during our squad debrief in Nepal, and it turned out to be the hardest day on her trip thus far. Steph and her travel buddy decided to go their separate ways and explore Southeast Asia alone. She was nervous about traveling by herself and felt more lonely than she has ever felt before. I was able to remind her that G0d had not forgotten about her just and would be with her the whole time. Steph came to the point where she realized she needed G0d and we prayed together for her to accept J3sus into her life again! This was a huge step in her life and I was able to give her bible verses daily to encourage her in her walk. We kept in touch for the next few weeks, and decided we were going to meet in Vietnam.
She joined my team in Vietnam a week ago and has grown closer to the Lord in a week than I’ve seen her in her whole life. My team is so wonderful and they embraced her as our 8th teammate right away. My sister has never lived in a community before and I’m so glad that race life is her first exposure. It is so great having her experience every aspect of ministry with us while she begins her walk with the Lord. She joins us in coffee shop ministry, team time, adventures and pursuing relationships with the locals. We are teaching her how spend time with the Lord and spend time in his word daily. It is crazy to see how much she has changed in a week becoming more vulnerable and confident in community. Out of all of the experiences G0d has blessed me with in Vietnam, the best gift this month has been the opportunity to guide her in her walk and witness her growth in the L0rd. I’m so proud of her and I’m confident that G0d has great plans for her life.
If you get anything from this blog remember to keep pr@ying for your loved ones to walk with G0d even when it seems like they want nothing to do with Him. Be encouraged that He hears every prayer and answers in ways that you would never expect. Like bringing your sister onto the world race in Vietnam!
Here is a pic of us after that time we went parasailing back in ‘Nam
