hello, i’m alive.

Hello! It’s been quite some time since I last posted an update. There are several reasons for this. One being, I’m so busy and so much is happening, it’s hard to keep up with everything. Adjusting to my new role as squad leader has been fun and exciting, but time consuming at times. Last month I had a lot going on with planning a squad debrief, jumping into team New Ground, preparing for parent vision trip, and pressing into ministry each day. Which leads me to another reason why there haven’t been many updates: a lot of what we did in India isn’t something I can post publicly. I sent a private email out to my subscribers but if you didn’t end up receiving a private email from me with more details of what we did in India, I would be happy to send it your way, just let me know!

So without further ado, here are some updates with what’s been going on in my life and in ministry!

PVT (Parent Vision Trip)

I had the honor and privilege of getting to host my parents for a week. We had a blast together. We explored the city, rode in tuk tuks through crazy traffic, we ate spicy curry with our hands, we drank yummy chai, we worshipped, we prayed and we ministered together. Mom was living in her glory by getting the chance to dance with the kids, show off her “boujee” wardrobe, and do her college mime for them. Dad was quickly the favorite by all the village children when he started passing out suckers. He also got a chance to encourage and uplift pastor Samson (our host) and made a huge impact in his life. I got to catch them up on some of the things God has been doing in me on the race and they got to catch me up on all that I’m missing back home. One thing I learned is that God has been doing incredible things in and through my family and my church back home. I am so encouraged by the growth that is taking place. I know that when I come home, I will not be the only one changed. The week flew by and was over before we had a chance to blink, but even still, God did big things in the three of us and I was overjoyed to get a chance to see them and spend time with them.

   

 

 

   

Which lense do I have on?

After PVT was over, we had a week left in India. That goodbye was not an easy one. This country and the people in it captured my heart, from its bright colors and big flavors, to the warmth in each smile. God showed me so much this month. He spoke with me about how quick I am to judge something as good or bad, through the lense of my own upbringing, privilege and  pride. I had several moments this month where I would witness something in the streets or villages and just because it’s something I have never seen before or its different than how I have been raised, my mind would assume that it was bad. Like when I would look out over the rooftop of our home and watch the village people do life. Whether they were hand washing their laundry outside by the well, eating dinner with their goats and chickens, or following behind the herd of cows and scooping up their manure to use as fertilizer. I quickly saw these things and was broken because of it. I didn’t understand how I was born into my life and they were born into theirs. When taking those feelings to God, He reminded me that this is how these people were raised, and to them, none of this was bad, it was normal. They were happy and they were content with life. But I looked at these situations and deemed it something it simply was not.

I was viewing these people through my own personal idea of right and wrong, of provision and need, of good and bad, when God never intended us to be able to know the difference. God never wanted us to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He never wanted us to be able to judge for ourselves. And so here I am, judging these things as bad, when in reality, they aren’t bad, they are just different. I asked God to change my perspective. I asked him to give me His heart for these people. Instead of seeing that man and my heart breaking because of his simple village lifestyle, I looked at him and my heart broke for his pain, my heart broke for the oppression he was under, and my heart broke because he didn’t know Jesus. Throughout the month, I got a chance to pray for different people in the villages. I got a chance to pray for them, not through my lense or my judgement, but through the lense of Jesus. Hearts were open, and people received the love that Jesus wanted to give them. God is good. He is the judge. I am his servant and I am changed because of this new perspective He has given me.

  

Month 7: Nepal

Now our squad is in the middle of month 7! It’s hard to believe how fast time is flying. This month I am serving alongside team Grafted In (more on them later). We are working with Agape International. This organization is INCREDIBLE. They have been around since the 90s and have several outreaches geared toward at-risk women and children. Every morning, we minister to children in the slums through bible stories, songs, and games. Then we go to a women’s center and teach women english and get to know them. In the evenings, we do either feeding programs for slum kids, or we play soccer with them. The days are busy but God is filling our team with strength and joy. Please keep our team in prayer as we serve to be the love that Jesus is wanting to bring to the people of Nepal. Other outreaches of this ministry include trekking into unreached villages and bar rescues for women in the sex trafficking industry. There is potential for our team to engage in both of these ministries if Holy Spirit leads, so please be praying that His will is done with whatever the remainder of our month looks like. Also, prayers for our lungs. The air quality in Kathmandu is one of the worsts in the world (but the views are nice).