Hi all, as you know blogging was not my strong suit this year but I want you to be able to see a little bit of what this past year looked like. Also, I just cannot thank each one of you enough for the support and prayers over this past year. I was able to go and have my life changed forever because of your generosity so THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!
GUATEMALA: This was an incredible first ministry month. We were partnered with Hope Church and Worship Room. We were able to visit homes in the area and continue to build upon the relationships the ministry had already established with the locals there. There was also a children’s vacation bible school that we helped with each week. Some of the activities included playing soccer, drawing Bible stories, and many games of duck, duck, goose! The discipleship this month was such a gift to start of the race (shoutout to Sofie & Willie for the best Bible studies!) Once a week we also got to work with the coolest place called Eco Farms. This place is unlike anything I’ve seen before, they are a fully operational farm that uses Mayan farming techniques. Their goal is to involve the local community by teaching farming methods and encouraging self-sustainability through the many resources they provide! If you are ever in Antigua, I highly recommend visiting. This is just a small look into the many opportunities we had to serve our first month on the field!
What the Lord taught me this month: How to invite God into everything and that I cannot do things on my own. That I had to give up control so that the Lord could change my life!
HONDURAS: We had the pleasure of working with Catracho Missions this month. We lived on a mountain close to the city of Comayagua. Paul and Tania (our hosts) were called by the Lord to start a church in these mountains for families that had no prior access to a church. We were able to assist the locals in the building of the church by carrying and sawing wood. We got to build relationships with the many incredible people living on this mountain. We also had a three-day vacation Bible school and women’s event. It was incredible to see this ministry’s obedience to the Lord!
What the Lord taught me this month: When I turn to the Lord, He shows up. I struggled to feel valued or purposeful at the beginning of the month. By the end of our time, I was met with so many words of encouragement and truth about who He created me to be and my identity in His kingdom!
COSTA RICA: Wow, this month meant so much to me. My eyes were opened to my passions at this ministry. We were partnered with Teen Challange in Limon. I was in AWE of how the Lord was moving here. We got to see lives being transformed by the love of Jesus. Men and women come into this program struggling with addiction and commit to a year-long program that changes everything. We had the privilege of working alongside this ministry in whatever way they needed whether that be filling potholes to hosting Beauty for Ashes events. I am SO thankful for this month!
What the Lord taught me this month: To quote from my journal, “wow, wow, wow! The Holy Spirit! Take it all away Jesus!” I learned what it means to partner with the Spirit, to live radically for His kingdom, and to surrender to the Lord.
NICARAGUA: We split our time in half this month, the first half of the month we spent in Bluefields. Here we partnered with a YWAM base. We got connected with Verbos church and were able to paint their sanctuary as well as help with youth meetings. We also got to spend time with the missionaries at the YWAM base which was very special and encouraging! We spent the second half of our month in Palacagüina. One of the girls on my team, Maria actually grew up serving at this ministry so we able to build upon relationships she made many years before! We got to host an incredible Beauty for Ashes event, help clear a rock wall for a new youth center, and host a youth night! Both of these ministries were such a joy to work with and their passion for the Kingdom was contagious!
What the Lord taught me this month: The Lord showed me my passion for community. Throughout the month, I realized how powerful the body of Christ is when we are all collectively in a place of dependence upon the Holy Spirit and abandoning all else.
ALBANIA: This month we got to partner with Adopt-a-Child. This ministry sponsors kids in hard-to-reach villages to provide children with food and daily necessities. We were excited because during Christmas they do a shoebox program to bring the kids gifts. We got to go out with them and deliver gifts from the sponsors. After the Christmas season ended, we led children’s programs in these villages as well as distributed food boxes. Also, this country is BEAUTIFUL!
What the Lord Taught me this month: How to abide (John 15), making Him the thing I wanted more than anything else. I also started learning more and practicing spiritual disciplines.
ROMANIA: We spent two months in Romania working with Hope Church. This was an incredible ministry with such a vision! They are involved in a wide variety of outreach opportunities some of which include, eyeglass ministry, Roma feeding programs, youth nights, worship nights, evangelism, and many more. We spent our first month doing these types of programs, towards the end of our first month the war in Ukraine began and the vision of the ministry shifted towards responding to this crisis. The ministry took many trips to the border to pick up Ukrainians while we remained in Craovia to assist and care for displaced people that were being dropped off. The Ukrainian families we worked with were so kind; it was such a pleasure building relationships with them!
What I learned this month: This month was a heavy one for me, I struggled to see God and feel His presence. I experienced a lot of spiritual warfare during my time in Romania but the Lord showed me how to continue to seek Him even when I felt so far from Him.
LESOTHO: This month we partnered with Harvester’s Bible Church and School. During our time there we got to teach at their school; Daliah (one of my teammates) and I taught 3rd grade every morning. The school focused on teaching the students English so we were happy to relieve the teachers who work so tirelessly for the month. I loved getting to build relationships with those beautiful kids! We also got to do some home visits which are always something I looked forward to.
What the Lord taught me this month: That my plans are never better than the Lord’s plans. What I thought my experience in Lesotho would be ended up being completely different from what God had in store. I saw SO much beauty in His creation and His children.
ESWATINI: We were actually able to serve at the Adventures in Missions Base in Eswatini. Their ministry focuses on youth; how it works is they have over 30 carepoints throughout the country. The children in the community go to these carepoints every day for a meal, community, and discipleship. Our squad served at five different locations. We were able to teach lessons to the kids, share the gospel with beaded bracelets, help in the preschool, and just enjoy time with the kids. This was such a fun last month of ministry!
What God taught me this month: I just realized how blessed I was to have K-Squad! I could not have imagined doing this year without each and every one of them. They showed me so much about the Father’s love and how to live a life sold out for the Lord. I am just so thankful the Lord brought these people into my life!
A beautiful glimpse into an amazing year……may your blessings continue at home & in your new ventures…..your joy & beauty is radiant……thank you for sharing!
Love this recap! So cool that you now have a brief overview recorded to be able to look back at all this year held, how you grew, and what the Lord taught you! Beautiful inside and out my sister!