Update:
Its the final week in Indonesia and these past weeks were soo full! We had an addition of two members to our team. Their names are Sammy in Liz. Adventures in Missions has a smaller program called Exposure, where the get to spend a month on the field deciding if the race is for them. Liz agreed to write an entry for me entitled:
The Tug to Go!
Hey! My name is Liz and I’m 21 years old. I live in Michigan in a small town called Deckerville where everyone knows each other and you find out everyone is somehow related and I love it. I love the four seasons, driving by farms and fields, and being close to family. I have two jobs- I work as a Cosmetologist and Dietary Aide right in my hometown.
A couple of months ago I felt like the Lord was putting the World Race on my heart. Knowing that the World Race is 11 months long I really didn’t want to do it, but I kept feeling the tug on my heart to look into it. I finally researched it and stumbled across the World Race Exposure Trip, a month of joining the World Race in Indonesia. That seemed to make more sense to me. I remember journaling and writing that If I got accepted that I would go. And still not being sure if I should, I had an online and phone interview and was accepted. Then I found out that I had to be back a few days early because I am a part of a wedding, and still they accepted me. I sent out support letters right away and raised over $4000 in 5 weeks. Then I thought, whoah the Lord must really want me to go.
Right before my trip I was going through some hard things in my personal life, lots of things were happening that were not in my favor, and so then I began to start really wanting to go and get away from my normal life and focus on the Lord. The timing couldn’t be any better. You know sometimes the Lord just knows exactly what we need, but sometimes we’re just too stubborn to listen.
This month has been incredible. I laughed, I cried, I danced, and I was hangry at times. The girls that I met are amazing. It’s impactful to be surrounded by a group of women who all have the same goal in life, living for the Lord and denying self. They shared their testimonies and to my surprise some had went through similar things that I am walking through. Community is so important. They were able to encourage me from their experiences and pray for me and wow I couldn’t have been in a better place. Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
We stayed upstairs in a school. Instead of buying a $50+ mattress pad I bought a $7 pool floatie that resembled a bag of potato chips along with a sleeping bag and bug net. It worked quite well. As far as ministry we did a lot of different things. We worked with the children downstairs in the school. We played games, sang songs, did skits. We met and introduced ourselves to people in the streets. The people went crazy, they think of Americans as celebrities. By crazy I mean excited, and yelling things that we didn’t understand; we felt safe. We had bible studies and learned about the Quran. We learned the appropriate ways of approaching a Muslim without being disrespectful and it was quite interesting. The love and passions that our hosts had in reaching out to Muslims was astonishing.
While ministry was good, God was really teaching me a lot of things and working in my own heart. Mostly because I was being intentional. I learned how important it is to spend alone time with him whether that be in the word, praying, being still, etc. This was head knowledge before but earnestly seeking him everyday and renewing your mind is so important. I took the time to get through 4 books, one of my favorite being “Love Does” by Bob Goff. He quotes, “I learned that faith isn’t about knowing all the right stuff or obeying a list of rules. It’s something more, something more costly because it involves being present and making a sacrifice. Perhaps that’s why Jesus is sometimes called Immanuel – “God with us.” I think that’s what God had in
mind, for Jesus to be present, to just be with us. It’s also what he has in mind for us when it comes to other people.”
One big thing that I wanted to understand better was hearing the Lord. When people would say the Lord told me this, or the Lord gave me a vision or whatever, it would frustrate me because I knew these things were real but I wasn’t confident for myself. I’ve come to the realization that everyone hears differently and that’s ok. The same way Judy hears isn’t the same way Bob does. Maybe for me it’s that tug on my heart to do something, but I can confidently say as long as I’m in the word and my thoughts and actions are aligning with it, God is present. The girls encouraged me that knowing the voice of the Lord takes time, it’s usually not something learned overnight. I know that if I’m continually seeking I will become more confident in knowing, and the same for the girls. Living for Christ is a lifelong journey of learning. It’s easy for me to look at someone and think they have it all together, or think they must be better than me because they know more than me, but really that’s a lie I was being fed. We all have struggles and sometimes we’re not as tough as we look, and that’s okay.
Going home I don’t have all the answers, I don’t have my life figured out, and I still struggle is areas- that’s life.I’m perfectly imperfect. But what I am taking home is knowing my identity in Christ and having a strong desire to live my life in a way that people would see Jesus through me. If I keep seeking things will become more clear. If I draw near to him he will draw near to me. He is the best comforter and greatest thing I could ever put my hope in- I mean life with him is eternal!
Could I do the World Race? Absolutely and it would be a great time of growth, but at the moment I don’t feel that “tug.” I feel like I should pursue continuing my education in hair. When I get home I am going to look into barbering school, a passion that I’ve had for quite a while, but we will see where the Lord leads! If you feel called to the World Race, or if you want to get a taste of what the World Race is, do Immersion, or do a Passport Trip. Don’t be stubborn like I was and just GO.
