We’re nearly a week into April and I’ve had ‘write a blog’ on my to-do list for the last few weeks. Honestly, it’s easier for me to write when I’m outside the USA and I feel like I have more ‘stories’ to tell…but here’s my best attempt at an update of how the Spring has been unfolding.
After returning from 5 weeks in South America it has been nice to have some quality time in Georgia with friends and visiting Stephanie in Miami. February 28th was Stephanie’s birthday and I found a sweet $70 flight on Frontier that put me with her for 40 hours to celebrate. So worth it! *side note, this was my fourth time flying Frontier and my fourth time the flight was delayed*
(My birthday girl)
Some of my leadership team I get to work closely with here in Georgia!
As March rolled along I adjusted to the part of my job where I encourage/support my teams from a thousand miles or more. They have traveled through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru over these past three months with one of the highlights being part of a revival in Quito, Ecuador with a few WR Gap Year squads and ministries we partner with. My group was a part of helping lead worship, evangelism breakouts and worship/prayer.
(Photo Credit: Ben Towne)
We sadly had a participant go home to be with her family when a close relative passed away expectantly. She has decided not to return to the trip this year and feels God is leading her to stay close to home and serve in some other ways. We also have a few participants low on support and are in danger of having to leave the field. All of this has lead to a continued trust in God and his plans for this squad, year and journey. It’s easy for me to project failure on to myself or my leadership when things unfold differently than expected…but God has continued to remind me to give it all back to HIM and keep my hands open.
This coming Tuesday I fly to Spain for a 5 day debrief with my group. I will then be staying for an extra 8 days as we head to hike on the Camino de Santiago! It’s a pilgrimage of Saint James and millions of people have walked the journey over the years….many seeking to find truth and discovery of life’s meaning. Our teams will be walking for a week or two and able to have time of reflection in silence, sharing the truth of Christ with other travelers, meeting people and hearing their stories. I will probably only be able to hike for about 5 days at most, but I’m excited to see what God has in store.
Please pray for me and my teams as we head to Spain and get to be a part of what God is already doing in the country! I won’t be in the bush of Africa, but as the dollar has weakened against the Euro I will be living on an even tighter budget.
Pray that I’m bold in sharing the love of Jesus Christ and the freedom/truth He brings to all those that call him Savior.
Thank you for all the support and encouragement over! 2018 has been a wild ride and I believe the best is yet to come.
