For over a year now, I’ve been off the blogging grid. I’ve posted the occasional “What the heck am I doing with my life?” status update on Facebook and pictures of good times. But have yet to give an update on my life after The World Race and the missionary-ish land that I lived in for a while. (Keep reading for a synopsis or skip forward for my next adventure to the Philippines in a few days. But really, there’s been some good stuff in between…)
After coming home from Squad Leading in December 2013, I continued to fly out to meet my squad in Nepal and Turkey for their debriefs in 2014. I was all too familiar with the feeling of returning home the year before and am certain that God used His voice, Spirit, and my relatable experience to send them home well. I’ve been blessed and affirmed by a few of them returning home and going out to Squad Lead now themselves. Seeing what discipleship and reproduction of our following Christ can look like.
I’ve been back to interpreting but with a few surprises that I NEVER imagined. I’m working for Fresno Unified (instead of Clovis) and just finished my first year interpreting in a Kindergarten class (instead of High School)! From being the girl who loathed working with kids before going on The World Race to loving them and excited to spend my days with five and six year olds, God has truly blessed and surprised me.
After some much needed spurring on from the Lord, I am back at The Well Community Church and am pursuing as much activity in discipling and making a difference for the better as much as God will use me and the burdens for the body of Christ that He’s given me. My two active roles are on the Missions Team and as a Shepherd working in conjunction with the pastoral staff at our evening services for the people.
As a missions team, we’re working on moving missions forward in our church and prioritizing God’s passion for the nations amongst the people. I’ve been speaking at team meetings for a few teams getting ready to head out for two-week-long exposure trips to Thailand and India and doing what I can to help them return home well. Encouraging and challenging them to not let a “two week exposure trip” end there, but how to take what they saw and learned and did and let it truly change their lives no matter where they are, what they are doing, and live missionally daily whether at home or overseas.
In my shepherding role, I intentionally set out to meet anyone and everyone I can, trying to help the pastoral staff gauge the spiritual health of the people who come to church, meet with ladies one-on-one when I can, and help them move forward from wherever they are for greater growth.
I took the most amazing Missions course this past semester called “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement”. With intense readings and weekly speakers, I have a better understanding of God’s heart for global missions and am praying about the part that I’ll continue to play in His story. Every single opportunity that came up as to where I could go after and what I could do seemed appealing. To be honest, everything and everywhere still does. But as I’m praying through where God wants me to go (which could even be America as I may slowly and reluctantly be realizing), He’s reminding me of my first love and where my heart beat the strongest to begin with in 2012 while on The World Race. So…
I’M RETURNING TO THE PHILIPPINES FOR 2 MONTHS!!! I’ll spend my summer vacation working with Streetlight Ministry in Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao. Streetlight was started by two of my best friends from The World Race, Meagan LaFoy and Leah Malone. With a small team of people, they’ve established Streetlight to provide schooling, meals, showers, basketball fun, games, church, stability, love, and Christ to kids who live on the streets. They’ve recently started a “livelihood program” for moms to come learn skills in order to provide for their families and rehabilitation homes are under construction where the kids will be able to live and attend school… OFF THE STREET!
I’ll live and work with Meagan, Leah, and their two new Filipino roommates and friends day in and day out for 2 months. The possibilities are endless and I just want to be an available servant. Fanning the flame of the passion in my heart for the world and the “least of these”. I’m open to doing whatever comes my way and letting God rock my world. With no expectations. Being malleable. Challenged. Changed. Maybe He’ll speak to me about returning to the Philippines long term. Maybe not. But I know this, I won’t know what my life would look like there if I don’t try. This is the first time that I did not ask for any financial support, feeling the need to put my own money where my heart is. People have given abundantly and generously in the past and it was time to abundantly and generously, sacrificially give for myself as well. (Although don’t get me wrong, if you feel led to, you are more than welcome to support me as I still need to take care of my living expenses while I’m there 🙂
So I go. I go to try. I go to love. I go to serve. I go to encourage and love on my friends who are so loving and encouraging to everyone else. I go to use my time wisely. This summer is going to rush by and before I know it, I’ll be back at work flapping my hands around again. I’m praying for clarity on where God wants me to be in this next season of life. And in a few years, He has the freedom and power to change it all again. Who knows?
I’d humbly like to ask you to pray for me as I’m gone. I will need it.
– Pray for every moment to be used well, not wasting a moment while I’m there.
– Pray for relationships even through language barriers.
– Pray for clarity from the Lord on what He wants me to do while I’m there and when I return home.
– Pray that I hear the voice of the Lord regarding if He’s calling me to return to the Philippines long term.
– Pray that whatever I hear, I would obey and live each day with a ‘Yes’ in my Spirit.
With that being said, prayer goes two ways and it has the power to move mountains. The same God of Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Peter, and Paul is the same God of ours today. They interceded on behalf of people and God answered their prayers. I want to pray like that as well. So in that, I ask you to challenge me and give me to opportunity to pray for you as well. What can I be praying for you as I’m gone?
And with that, see ya in August!
