We are currently in Month 8, Bulgaria. This month we are working with 2 orphanages. One is for disabled children, and the other is for children who’s parents aren’t involved in their lives. We have been assisting with VBS by playing games, crafts, and making the story more interactive.
Even though the kids are very different, they typically like the same things. They like to play sports (soccer, volleyball, basketball), draw, and dance. It’s a new experience every day. We have also gotten the opportunity to help get an apartment ready for the boys that are about to turn 18. This apartment is meant to serve as a halfway from the home to the real world. It’s going to take a lot of work, but in the end, hopefully, it will give them a little hope for their future.
We only have one more week of ministry here and then we will meet back up with the squad for Month 8 debrief. Our alumni squad leaders and mentor will be joining us for the week. We haven’t met up as a full squad in almost 2 months, so I’m excited to see everyone! Something that I cherish on the race is All Squad Worship. It’s an amazing experience to see 50+ people all worshipping God. It’s a sound like no other.
At debrief, we will also be having team changes! We will finish the last 3 months of the Race with this team. AIM has also decided to change it up a bit. We got the opportunity to suggest 4 people that we would like to be on a team with, 2 people that you can learn from and 2 people that you can pour into. They also are taking away the role of a team leader to give everyone the opportunity to step into leadership and work together as true community.
After debrief, we are headed to Zimbabwe! We only have 3 months left until we fly home and that’s unreal. I have no expectations for Africa and I’m trying to keep it that way. Flexibility and Adaptability are better when you aren’t expecting it to look a certain way.
So keep our squad in your prayers as there are lots of changes coming our way! Thanks for following my journey and supporting me along the way.
Also, if I don’t have you on Facebook, I posted a birthday wish last week. My birthday is August 31st and I asked for help to continue learning and loving on the countries that we visit. Traveling around the world for a year is a great opportunity but it can make things tight financially. Any amount small or large can make a difference. Even if it’s $5, it could be just enough to fund that trip to bungee jump off Victoria falls or continue meeting a local at a coffee shop for the month to share Jesus with them. So if you want to help out, my PayPal account is paypal.me/RStewart432 or you can contact me through email [email protected].
Thank you guys so much for the prayers and love that I know is coming our way!
