I wanted to share where I'm at since I've been home & also take some time to reflect over a few of my favourite moments on the race! I've been home for about a month now & re-adjusting has been challenging. It feels real but also strange, I am trying to live in the present while still processing the past 10 months & also trying to figure out where my next step is. I am thankful for this down time & I know it was desperately needed. The thing I was dreading the most was going back to my parents house to get my stuff & visit, it was the first time I went there since my mom past away, & I didn't know what to expect or how it would be without her there. But I knew it was something I needed to do for closure & more peace. What I thought would be an overwhelmingly emotional experience ended up being quite opposite, I felt nothing. I went, I got my stuff, I visited my brothers & dad & I left. I don't know how to explain feeling nothing, but I am continually trusting that God has me on the path He desires for me & that He will continue to bring healing in my heart. I am still interested in seeking counseling, & hopefully soon; one thing is for sure the time seems to be flying by! I am trying to make each day useful & also enjoying catching up with family & friends. It's good to be home & I am enjoying reflecting over the journey God called me to & I am appreciating even more this opportunity I had!
Highlights from my Journey!!
Guatemala: On Mother's Day my wonderful team mates had balloons & a pen & paper for me to write a note/prayer to/for my mom & release them into the air, in her memory. We were unsure where the balloons would end up, at first they were headed for trees & then out of no where they came back down & we saw this little boy run after them all excited! His father helped him grab them & this little one was all smiles! This to me represented how God brings new life & new joy! My mom is no longer on this earth, but she has new life in eternity with the Lord! & through the things she's taught me & modeled for me I can bring that new life to others. It reflects Hope! These balloons could have easily ended up stuck in a tree, or run over by a car but they ended up bringing joy to a little boy!
Mozambique: This month was one of the ones that was closest to my heart. Our ministry was outreach, something I am passionate about & also still new to. It was a beautiful thing to see many who just happened to be shopping in the markets stopping to receive Christ into their lives! Fileto (evangelist on the stage) goes into the markets weekly & just preaches the Gospel & it is so refreshing to see people so thirsty for Jesus! We didn't speak their language but we got to lay hands on them & pray over them; praying to seal their new faith in Christ & for the Lord to continue to open up their hearts to learn more about Him & grow in Him. This was a ministry I loved, this is what I went on the race for, to reach the lost! & it was also fun dancing to the African worship with them!
Mozambique: ah Christmas! The way I like it, low stress, celebratory, & enjoying the company of those around you without worrying about presents, or any other distractions. Christmas in Mozambique was enjoyable, relaxing, lots of dancing, worshipping & eating! It felt like a summer bbq, but it was a nice change & way to experience culture!
Mozambique: My & Jessica's photo shoot! We both love Africa & it was a dream to go there. I am sure we will both be back at some point in life! It was just a fun time making memories & well I love photo shoots!
Guatemala: Sometimes along the race there are just certain people you meet that make your journey extra special! Clara was one of those people for me! She was so joyful & hopeful despite her current circumstances living in a lonely retirement home. She hasn't seen her family in who knows how long & she still clings strongly to her faith in God. She was always so excited to see us as we'd walk in each morning & her laughter was truly beautiful! Even amongst a language barrier, she just wanted someone to sit with her & hold her hand. She brought me so much joy!
Guatemala: Just sitting & holding Clara's hand!
Swaziland: One of the most precious little faces I had the priviledge of spending time with on my journey! Little Bassely! He was an orphan in Swaziland, who just wanted to be noticed, held & loved on! He made my time in Swaziland extra special & extra hard to leave! I loved going in every morning & see him run to be picked up!
Swaziland: On January 14th (my mom's birthday) my team & I hiked the beautiful hills of Swaziland & had a memorial time for her. Celebrating her birthday in eternity with Jesus & reflecting on the amazing mother she was! It was one of the most beautiful moments of my race since my whole race was a grieving process & little memorials along the way helped me get through; my mom was my biggest fan & I was continuing on the race in honour of her!
Swaziland: Sharing a bed with Maria! She stayed calm when the big ugly spiders creeped up so I wouldn't panic. Ugh, they were so gross & crawled so fast, but she made them look so weak!!
South Africa: Ah, the Beautiful Ocean!!! It's not often I get to spend time sitting on beautiful sand & listening to the sound of the ocean & see the waves!
South Africa: Spending one week as a "guest from another country" in a kindergarten class! It was fun, I made lots of little friends!
Bulgaria: Pre-race I did NOT like public speaking at all! It terrified me! But now, I can bare it! I mean, I still don't enjoy it really, but I will do it & usually end up happy I did afterwards. I'm hoping I can eventually learn to like it! The more I do it, the more comfortable I get doing it. Bulgaria gave me lots of opportunities to put this to action, & I'm glad it did, this is what I came on the race for to share God goodness in my life with others!
Macedonia: Anyone who knows me well, knows I love earrings! I wear them all the time & feel quite bare without them! So of course in each country I had to get a cultural pair to take home with me! This is usually how wide the variety I had to choose from looked! It was always a tough choice! In this specific photo the owner of the jewelery was trying on a neclace to show me how it looked to try to sell it to me! Little did he know, I don't wear neclaces much! I always had fun buying the "earrings of the month!"
Serbia: Trying Serbian's favourite dinner= Lots of meat!! A meat platter infact! Was delicious!
Romania: Celebrating my 25th birthday! My team mates made it very special & memorable!
Romania: Just arriving in Romania from Africa! A quite opposite extreme of weather! & Jessica's first time in snow! We all had to find ways to keep warm while waiting for our train to depart. But for me it was a touch of home 😛 (I didn't miss the Canadian winters at all!)
Romania: Doing kids club with Tiffany! It was always fun to see the cute romanian children all bundled up & excited for kids club! & to hear them practising their romanian songs & trying to win the prizes by guessing the right answer.
Romania: The very afforable & very delicious sweet treats Romania had to offer!
Philippines: Month one on the race, & by far my hardest month; but the beautiful children in Tondo made it worth it! So many little faces, & they have so much joy & energy & are so fun to be around!
Philippines: The culture shock of the Philippines made me think my first month on the race, "what the heck did I sign up for?" It was overwhelming & pretty much a whole new world from what I knew, but a beautiful place full of beautiful people! A country in need & it was obvious my first day there. It hit me most this one day as me & Jessica were in a taxi trying to get to our hostel & as we are stopped in traffic, a little girl comes up to my window & knocks looking me in the eyes wanting money, food or anything that could help. Having to look away was hard & I burst into tears, but it hit me then how in need this country is. It opened my heart from month one to the reason God called me to these countries & how in need of Him they are. It opened my heart to missions & how I want my life to be mission focused; whether through me going myself, or supporting other missionaries. The need is serious.
Guatemala: Riding a horse up a volcano tour! Well actually this is how it went down. I started off hiking up the volcano, realizing I am not in shape for this & as I am out of breath, cramping up & ready to pass out; a beautiful horse walks by & a man offers to let me ride it (for a fee of course). But compared to how I was feeling, it was worth it! & actually it made my volcano experience even more fun! I now can say I rode a horse on a volcano tour which was very uphill! A week later one of the three surrounding volcanoes erupted, quite cool to watch from afar!
Guatemala: The day before I left. My lovely team! It was hard to leave them, but knowing what direction God wanted me to go; it was a peaceful & even enjoyable last day together!
Truthfully, there are way too many highlights to put in a blog! You'd be reading it forever! This year was an experience of a lifetime! I am so thankful for it! I had some great times & hard times, but amongst them all I saw God's goodness in my life! I learned how faithful He is, always! This is priceless, to really grasp the depth of His love & faithfulness; something I will hold onto for the rest of my life & it will always be with me no matter where I go. I am excited for what comes next, I have one semester to finish up at Emmanuel Bible College this fall to graduate from the BRE Counseling program, so my plan is to finish that up & see what God has in store beyond that! There is no doubt in my mind that missions are in my future! I am excited for what's next!
