October 17, 2017
Hola y saludo de Chile! It has officially been one week on the World Race and, boy, has my world been shaken! From 30+ hours of travel to diving into the language barrier to leaving behind my home, the first week on the field has been a lot, to say the least.
This month, our team has the honor to serve a church in Santiago, Chile that is full of beautiful people with big hearts for ministry. We have been so welcomed into the family and greeted many times with the phrase, “hemos estado orando para que vengas,” which means, “we have been praying that you would come.” The members of the church have extremely generous and loving personalities. They are prayer WARRIORS and have taught me so much about depending on the Lord. Honestly, I could, and might, write a book based on the hospitality of this culture. Everyone has open arms and hearts that are ready to serve.
Thanks be to God, we have an amazing host for our first month in this 11-month journey! Pastor David studied missionary work and served as a missionary for three years! He has us involved with every ministry available: women’s ministry, prayer team, kids’ ministry, teenagers/youth, sunday school teaching, preaching, etc. Everyday we are given tools that will be used not only for the rest of the World Race, but also for the rest of our lives!
My team is becoming my family. Though it is not easy to jump into living with people you just met, the Lord is revealing His divine purpose in putting us together and is slowly peeling back the layers of each individual so we may grow closer and function stronger.
Each of my days begins with a prayer for strength. I feel as though I was ripped out of my comfort and placed somewhere unfamiliar, feeling inadequate and out of place every single day. Jesus is teaching me what it means to truly walk with him and be his disciple. Whether it’s praying for an elderly woman who is dying of cancer, comforting a hurting teammate, allowing women of the church to pray over me when I am emotional and overwhelmed, or leading the church in worship (which, by the way, I have jumped into since day one), all things point back to Jesus and HIS strength… Not mine. “There is no way I can do this,” has been the thought that has crossed my mind quite often… But I have begun to add a word that changes my attitude and walk every day: “Alone.” There is no way I can do this alone. I need the strength that only my God can give, I need the comfort that only HIS peace can bring and I need the power that only his Spirit is. The journey is hard, the journey is long… But it is a good journey. A journey walking hand in hand with the creator of my heart, the lover of my soul, the perfect father that I have an honor to serve.
