My flesh is weak lord. Your Spirit willing, I know.
One step in front of the other, is what you told me.
I want to run faster, but I cannot tell how far.
I look to the runner on my right, but their steps quicken.
To the left, there is none.
Give me this day my daily bread.
No more..and certainly no less.
Your stride seems too long, how can I catch it?
My lungs too weak, my legs too short.
My frame slumps in defeat.
My mind searches for an answer, for a place to hide.
Escape. Yes, that would be nice wouldn’t it?
But the home my heart longs for is not here.
Nor there, for it is a better place.
Your Spirit willing Lord, I know.
I check my watch, how long have I been running?
Hours it seems…how many remain?
Maybe I’ll stop and take a break…
No, I must keep running.
One foot in front of the other.
Eyes ahead, fixed on the distance.
Your power made perfect in my weakness.
Your power made perfect in my weakness…
My flesh is weak Lord. Your Spirit willing, I know.
There’s footsteps in the dirt in front of me now..
Who’s been here?
Are those mine? They seem much bigger than my feet..
Curious and compelled, I follow.
Deep into the woods, I follow.
Through the waters, I follow.
Around that mountain again, I follow.
Now up, up I go.
Higher, higher still.
Legs burning, muscles tightening.
“Stop! You must stop!” my body yells.
The Spirit willing, up, up I go.
My heart longs for a better place.
The top is close now, I see it.
Lungs too weak, legs too short, but I see it.
I must go, I must finish.
Your power made perfect in my weakness, one step in front of the other.
At last, breathing hard and holding my side, I finish.
I breathe deep, taking in the fresh air that now fills up my lungs.
And how sweet is that view?
Oh so sweet.
My body relaxes as I take a look down at the mountain I just conquered.
Did I really make it up that mountain?
Wait, who was here first? Who’s are the steps that I followed?
They are much too big to be mine…
All things that attempt to describe this month. Thailand has seemed to make sure we leave with multiple adventures and adrenaline rushes under our belts. Here’s just a couple I wanted to share.
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Tsunami evacuation #1:
Let's go back to the second week we were here: One day we decided to take a dip in the ocean at the beach right around the corner from our house. Cindy and Dana were gone to do their volunteer police duty and we had the afternoon off. My team and I are all enjoying a fun team time/feedback session when what feels like a soft, gel like creature and 1000 needles digging into my skin all up my left forearm and right hand abruptly interrupts us. My team and I rush home to fix me up and thirty minutes later the neighbor comes over panicked, telling Cindy something about an earthquake that just happened somewhere and a tsunami was on its way. We're told to have our valuables packed in case we have to evacuate. "Nooo I doubt that's really true..it can't be," we collectively thought, though each of us had a growing ball of fear in our stomachs. Cindy turns on the news and I hear in a serious news caster voice on the T.V. through the wall, "Thailand wide, Indian ocean tsunami alert," then Cindy yelling, "Ok girls we're out!! Gotta go!" An 8.6 earthquake had hit near Indonesia sending a tsunami our way is what we were told. We pull out of the driveway in a rush, Cindy and Dana shouting to their neighbors to hit the road. Everyone is cramming into their small trucks or piling whole families onto motorcycles as the roads start to get more crowded. We arrive safely at higher ground and Dana goes back to pick up some church members that may not know to evacuate. Word of mouth is how people find out about this stuff. There was a government building next to where we were with a television reporting predicted times the tsunami was supposed to hit our beaches. Then another 8.1 earthquake hit Indonesia again. Rumors were flying as we hear that a 6 meter wall of water has already hit Indonesia. The predicted time of the tsunsmi kept getting later and later and finally we learn that it was not the type of earthquake that causes tsunamis. Sweet relief. We get home, having scored a free dinner paid for by the government and another good story under our belts. If it weren't for the jellyfish and God watching over us, we would have still been at the beach and our contacts wouldn't have known where we were!
My team and I went in to Phuket town for our day off to do some shopping and go to the beach only a week later from the 1st evacutation. Three of the girls wanted to head straight for the beach but A.J. and I decided to hang back and look around at the little markets for a bit. We are standing in front of this stand when all of a sudden 3 Thai women come rushing in front of us and start packing up their shop. We are caught way off guard and are trying to ask them what is happening. Other shop owners are scrambling to pack up their shops as well and then I turn my head to look down the street towards the beach. There’s a large crowd of people running up the street from the beach, panic stricken faces, and looking over their shoulders. We hear someone say, “Tsunami!” Not again. A.J. and I start running to the spot where we had chosen to meet up with the other girls from our team but they were not there. Knowing the other girls are smart and would know what to do, we decide to just follow the crowds of people and head up into the mountains quickly. We learned there was another earthquake in Indonesia, but we did not know how big. Everyone is still running or walking briskly, motorcycles are weaving in and out of people stacked with 4 on a bike and other cars and trucks are crowding the roads. A.J. and I eventually hop into the back of a truck with an older couple from England and a guy from Russia named Anton. Once we were in the truck and on high ground, the whole thing became kind of humorous and a fun adventure. We were all having a good chat, the older woman from England slightly freaking out and claiming she was NEVER coming back to Thailand. It was Anton’s first day in Thailand, he landed only 7 hours earlier..haha. We get high up into the mountains and wait with a large crowd of people until we are told it’s all clear to head back down. A.J. and I got to have an awesome conversation with Anton about why we are in Thailand and how Jesus has changed our lives. It was an awesome opportunity to show him God’s love. God must really love him to send a Tsunami to get his attention!! We get back to our meeting spot and the other girls are there, having made a friend as well from Switzerland. They were also able to share with him God’s love for him and ended up getting to pray with him. He was so touched and completely blown away that God had sent them to him. Anton ate dinner with my team after all the chaos and we ended up having a really awesome day, complete with some adventure, adrenaline rushes, and unexpected opportunities to share God’s love with new friends. Oh and, there wasn't actually a tsunami again. After the tsunami in 04' that killed tons of people, anytime there is an earthquake it is taken very seriously here..with good reason.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Now we are in Cambodia and heading to our ministry site today! We are about 2 and 1/2 hours outside of Pnohm Pehn, it sounds like it might be a bush month so I don't know what internet is going to look like. Please be praying for mine and my team's and my squad's health, we are feeling a bit worn out and need endurance and healing for these last 3 months!! :)
No one was safe. If you ran, you were chased. If you were on a motorcyle, you were a moving target...but a target, indeed. If you were white, it's all over.
In case you haven't heard of it, Song Kran is the Thai new year and to celebrate, basically the whole country is one massive water fight. We rode an open windowed truck thing about an hour into town and were completely soaked from head to toe by the time we got there. Our driver would pull over to the side near pockets of people just waiting with barrels of water, hoses, and super soakers. Colored water is flying in all directions and they even have this colored paste that they wipe on your face. The first time it happened to me, this man yells "WELCOME TO THAILAAAND!" as he smears my face with this green paste. Twenty minutes into the ride, I knew it was going to be a wild day. We got to town to find the streets lined with people with their water barrels, water guns, hoses, buckets, and the streets were bumper to bumper with trucks full of people and barrels of water. The rest of the street was covered with motorcyclists with super soakers. Music is blaring and water is being thrown in all directions. People were even riding on top of massive water trucks and spraying people with the water hose. These people were brutal. If you left your house that day, you would get soaked. NO ONE was safe from getting wet. And most people's water was freezing, kept cold by giant blocks of ice.We got to ride in the back of someones truck at one point and to fill our barrel upk, we just rolled on through the fire station and they kindly sprayed us with the hose then filled up our barrel. Here's some pictures that describe it the best.
This is probably the best idea I have ever heard of for a holiday celebration. Props to whoever came up with it and to the Thai people for being such good sports in this activity. I love a good water, mud, food, paint, or whatever-you-wish fight when everyone participates and has a good time. This is definitely one for the books. :)
Here's a video put together by Christian Roderick of the guy's on our squad during Song Kran. They were all on one team this month for "Manistry Month." They had a blast too!!
I'm writing this as I ride on an overnight bus to Bangkok, on my way to Cambodia early to help my squad leaders plan for 8 month debrief. To say that this is an upgrade from African buses is quite the understatement. I dont think any windows will get broken out on the way, nor will cockroaches make their home in the cushions, curtains, or floor. We actually left on time, instead of 4 hours late and no babies are wailing while tugging at their mommy's chest. There is what I assume to be the movie 300 dubbed in Thai playing on a flat screen though, the cold a/c is blowing and we were even given a little dinner box with cookies, a muffin, and a tiny cup for coffee. Score.
As I left our small, beautiful village today, I realized something stirring deep inside of me. It's not an unfamiliar feeling on this race. It hit me as I fought back tears after leaving the little cottage hotel where Noi works/lives after our daily time of discipleship. "Don't cry! You be strong!" she said. Noi is a 60 year old, english speaking Thai woman and new believer that my teammate AJ and I have had the privilege of discipling all month. This familiar feeling resurfaced as we walked back down the road to our house and I realized...my heart is full. It has expanded to envelop so many that I have met over the months. In Uganda as I was praying for the soccer team, God gave me a picture of the feast that we will eat in heaven with all our favorite foods one day.. My prayer became that each of those boys would be there, that I would get to eat with them at that table. ALL of them, not one missing. I must to see them at that table. As I left Noi's today, AJ and I were talking about how crazy awesome of a party heaven is going to be when we get to see all these people again. Thinking about Noi, I said how my table just got bigger.
Thailand has been a month unlike the rest. It seemed like an oasis after being in Africa for 3 months. Yet I wasn't happy to be here at first, as my mind and heart were in Uganda. However, as I leave on this bus tonight I feel like a different person and I can't quite put my finger on why. I know that my heart is expanded and that God taught me so much this month but...why do I feel so different? God has shifted something in me..my vision is wider, my heart is fuller..yet I still can't put my finger on it. Something has shifted in me and I didn't even realize it. The only way I can describe it is this: When God called Moses over to the burning bush, he was told to take off his sandals. He was about to have an encounter that would change his life; that would change an entire nation's lives. He was on holy ground. Thailand was my holy ground.
AJ and I got to meet with Noi from the beginning of the month. She is a brand new believer and didn't know really anything about how to follow Jesus and develop a relationship with this Man that she just gave her life to. We taught her how to pray, how to use her bible, how to spend time with him everyday, and introduced her to the Holy Spirit whom she'd never even heard of. Noi is incredibly hungry to know God and to learn. I've never seen someone with such a determination to understand. "I cannot learn fast enough! I have to read, read!" When we talked about setting aside time to spend with Jesus everyday, she responds with,"I have from 11:00 to 3:00...so one..two..four hours," as she counts out the hours on her boney fingers, a huge smile spreading across her sweetly wrinkled face. We taught her about church and she came last night, helping to translate and show the others how flip through their Thai bibles. I have no doubt she will be a strong force in that church, helping Cindy and Dana as she applies herself to God's word, asking the Holy Spirit to be her Teacher.
Once again, I am blown away by the way God allows me to partner with him. Who am I that he chooses me? Who am I that he chose me? Who am I that I get to be a part of this? That I get to partner with him?
I don't understand...but my heart is full because of it.
Ministry wise: For God to go before us in to Cambodia and prepare the way; to prepare people's hearts and that we may find good soil to sow seed in!
personal: My ankle is still swollen and in pain from Uganda. It's been about 5 weeks. Doctor's haven't really been able to tell me very much about what is wrong with it so I'm praying nothing major needs to be done. Please pray for healing!!
We arrived the first day in Phuket, Thailand on a huge bus, getting dropped off on the side of the road with all of our packs and belongings. This place looks nothing like Africa, I thought. We immediately were immersed in a pool of humidity and heat. Tropical foliage surrounded us. We hopped in to the back of our contact’s wife Cindy’s truck and were on our way to, little did we know, showers, wifi, American food, and there’s even A/C in the bedrooms. We had been without those things for quite a while now.
We live in a small fishing village on the northern end of Phuket island called, Thachatchai. My team and I are living in half of a duplex with our contacts Dana and Cindy Bratton. They are American missionaries who have lived here for almost 5 years now. Originally Dana came on a mission trip to Thailand after the 2004 tsunami and was shocked at the difficulty in finding bibles to share with new believers. After returning to the states, he heard the Lord calling him and his wife to full time missions in Thailand. So they up and moved here, and have been working very hard ever since to learn the language and build relationships with the locals here. Thai is a five tonal language that is very tricky to understand and speak, and with almost five years under their belts… they still have a hard time with communication. The church they have started is Calvary Chapel at the Bridge here in Thachatchai, and their vision is to create permanence with locals involving themselves in the church to sustain it in the future. Their days consist of visiting their neighbors, teaching English at the local school full time, cleaning up the small village streets and parks, and discipling during home visits, bible studies and church services.
This month I’ve really been able to see what it looks like to run the local church in a community where very few know who Jesus is. Dana and Cindy have been incredibly obedient to the Lord’s calling on their lives, and have been through thick and thin in these past five years. They have massive hearts for the Thai people, yet they still need the Lord’s provision as things can start to look impossible from our flesh’s perspective. They do not have reliable transportation here and between the two small pickup trucks they have, one is usually in the shop, costing more money than it is worth. Dana volunteers twice a week to clean up the village, showing his love, but being limited in his work with the tools that he has to work with. They do not have consistent translation, and with their limited Thai, it is difficult to explain the entirety of the Gospel and God’s truth to the people here. Their desire is for the new believers here in the community to step up in leadership within the church, to potentially lead and run the church, so that Dana and Cindy can eventually transition back home to America. The need for Jesus in Thailand is incredible. 94.6% of the Thai people are Buddhist, 4.6% are Muslim, leaving 0.7% Christian. Some Thai have not even heard the name of Jesus Christ. Dana and Cindy’s faithfulness to God’s call is incredible to me, especially when up against much opposition and very little community or faithful church members.
My prayers this month are for Dana and Cindy. I am praying for perseverance, trust, open doors, the Lord’s provision in this nation, and for him to send his angels to help them in all the ways possible. I am praying for your help too. These fellow believers need our help in this very real battle and that can be prayer for their ministry, $10 for a rake, bibles, a new car or even gas money . To donate, you can click on their names above, taking you to their newsletter. There is a paypal link below the items on the left side.
I am asking you to please bless this couple, as they are reaching out to this nation with Jesus’ name. Please ask the Lord and yourself what you can do to help Jesus be known here.
This month besides the soccer ministry, we spoke in church 5 times a week, on Wednesday, Friday, and 3 times on Sunday. We also did door to door one day, in which a man that was an alcoholic gave his life to Jesus and continued coming to our church after that. He was one of the most enthusiastic people there, it was incredible!! He shared his testimony in front of the church the next week and said he had been sober for the whole week. He continued coming to church for the rest of our time there, worshipping as a new believer set free from addiction and on fire for Jesus. We had a crusade for 3 days and did hospital ministry, in which somehow I got put in with the babies and got to weigh them and even give them vaccines. My teammates took the weight, blood pressure, and temperature of sick patients. We also got to walk through rooms and pray for many children and babies that were ill. One day we got to share a word at a school for the deaf, mute, and disabled, where I also sprained my ankle playing soccer with them..it's still pretty swollen and is difficult to walk on so please continue to pray for healing! One day we went to a conference in which we were the guest speakers. My teammates went to a special needs school another day and got to share with them and pray for them as well.
We made it to Thailand! We live on island in a district called Phuket :) we are working with the pastor and his wife of a church and will be sharing the gospel as well as discipling new believers! Many people here have never heard of Jesus!! We also get to do some manual labor this month to show God's love to those throughout the community that don't know him. I am excited about this month, however Uganda still has my heart...I'm working on getting it back haha.
Here's a video that my teammate Carly put together to recap our month. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!
“When I go to church, I have to go in secret,” he said, his eyes still concentrating on the game. “I am Muslim and it is dangerous to go to church...my family and I live with my father and one day I will inherit his land. I cannot afford to lose that and provide for my family.” His face looked somber, as if he wished it were different. I began to speak..his eyes shifted from the game to my face, as he was now hanging on my every word.
Earlier that week, we had gone to a rehab school and I had an opportunity to play soccer with some of the students. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice the giant tree roots sticking up out of the ground and as I ran after the ball, I planted my foot on a root and went tumbling. After hearing the loud pops coming from my ankle as the ground headed towards my face, I instantly knew something had happened. That was about 2 weeks ago. I sat out of our game one day, no longer able to play with a badly sprained ankle and engaged in the previous conversation with one of the guys from the team..for privacy reasons, I’ll call him Joshua.
God had highlighted Joshua to me at the very beginning of the month. I knew he was Muslim but one night while I was praying for him, I felt like God said that he was going to give his life to Jesus and that his salvation would be a catalyst for the other guys on the team. He came to church for the first time 2 weeks ago. The next day I had the previous conversation, as he was conveniently sitting out of the game as well.
I wandered over to him and asked him how he liked church and then began to inquire about Islam. “I don’t know much about Islam..I just follow because my family is Muslim," he responded. “If I were to pray in my heart to Jesus, my father would see a change in me and say I am already gone. I work very hard at my job so one day I will be able to make my own decision.” The 1st half of the game ended and Joshua was quickly called in to play for the 2nd half. His face perplexed, not wanting to end our conversation, Joshua asked if he could hear more sometime soon before he trotted off onto the "playground", as they call it.
A couple days ago, the guys had organized a special farewell soccer game. I sat next to Joshua as he was resting during the 2nd half. He said that if he could pray to God, he would ask him to have me stay. “Joshua..you can pray to God. Remember, you just have to go through Jesus.” “Yes..yes I know. I remember your words and I’ve been trying to follow them.” “...you’ve been trying to follow Jesus?” “Yes.” “So..is Jesus prophet to you now or Savior?” “Jesus is savior..because he died for my sins on the cross.” “Joshua..do you want to accept Jesus as your savior??” “Yes..I want to.” He explained to me what he knew of this man called Jesus that saved him from his sins to know him and said that he wanted him to come into his heart. And so we prayed sitting there in the grass, and Joshua accepted Jesus as his Savior, knowing full well the risk he was taking..but he had decided it was worth it. That Jesus was worth it.
I knew what God had told me at the beginning of the month was true. But I honestly didn’t think that I would get to see his salvation, let alone lead him to Jesus. That night we concluded our winning game with chapatti and beans at our house with the whole team to say our teary final goodbyes and celebrate the new friendships we had made.
I’ve frustratingly sat on the sidelines for the past 2 weeks, watching every game and practice and cheering the guys on. Honestly, hurting my ankle and not being able to play has been an answer to prayer though..I’ve had multiple incredible conversations with many different guys on the team about Jesus in the past 2 weeks that I would not have had if I were on the field. I cannot explain how thankful I am for this month, the soccer team, and that I was chosen to be a part of what God is doing there. At the beginning of the month only 3 of the guys were coming to church. By the end of the month, there were 11! It was a month I will never forget..with people I will never forget and an experience I will forever hold close to my heart.
workin hard..I was kinda glad I couldn't play this day ha
our farewell dinner the night we were leaving :(
warmin' up
after church last Sunday, from left to right: Edgar, Nicho, Patrick, me, Mike, Gideon, Tim
Please pray for Joshua and the rest of the team, to grow in the knowledge of God and for their eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to be opened to the gospel!
We are now in Thailand as of this morning! We did lots of other things for ministry this month that I will try and post more pictures of and give more of an update on those things! Headed into month 8...love yall :)
I bury my face in my knees, music blaring in my ears. It’s the first moment I’ve felt an escape in I don’t know how long. As I sit in the front porch today I’m secretly praying no children will swarm me as is common around here, or random passersby come to say hello to the interesting mazungo. Today I am more aware than I’ve wanted to be that in only 6 months I will be back at school, sitting in classrooms, studying away, listening to boring lectures. Although with a new appreciation for my university education that I’ve now seen first hand is something most of the world only dreams about having, I hope I won’t be bored.
I picture myself studying out on the grassy knoll on campus, that is now probably taken over by some building by now. I picture myself there in the sun, with a textbook open in my lap though I’m not really reading the pages. My thoughts are in Nepal..or India..or probably Uganda and the soccer team and the gift that this month is. My thoughts are distracted by a completely different world, a world I knew existed but seemed too distant to really care or feel like little me could really do much. I see my thoughts completely lost in the sea of faces that I’ve met; in the lives that I’ve shared my life with. Instantly I’m in Nepal at Asha, at the evening devotion where the kids would sing the “action songs” at the top of their lungs or I’m on the roof, bright and early in the morning for chai tea. Or I’m at the soccer field making a chain with our bodies to climb down the side of the cliff into the jungly bush to get the ball that someone (or I) kicked over the side. My thoughts are in Tanzania doing house visits with Pastor Celsus or on the cold, hard floor of our house laughing up our lungs at how hilarious Celsus is. I’m in Kenya walking all around the city with Onesmus buying bus tickets for our squad during debrief. Or in a flash I’m in India, doing laundry on the roof while talking to Surjit, or watching the beautiful white birds fly all around the city against the purple and pink evening sky. I’m at the Franzen’s sitting on their kitchen floor talking about the Holy Spirit, learning how to disciple nations, eating homemade Christmas cookies. I’m even back in Romania, cooking with Mihai and eating his delicious gourmet food. Finally, I’m in Uganda playing soccer with the guys, fighting to keep up, pulling a muscle in the process but playing anyway, and standing in our front yard talking after practice. I’m in the back of the tiny truck that we cram 24 of us into to go to our games, giggling at how hard it is to hold on and not fall out. Or maybe I will be back on this porch, missing the boys and this month already when it is only half way over.
Every nation has a face for me now. It is no longer a distant land that I wouldn’t begin to know how to really pray for, or something so far away it’s hard to believe really exists outside of my busy life at school..studying, going to church, hanging out with friends, discipleship, soccer, projects, papers, class, the lists goes on and on. No, every nation has a face. They are a part of me now. I see their struggles, their culture, their way of life that is so completely different than mine and I love that. Every nation has multiple memories and images attached to them. I don’t know how I will be able to go back to school with an air conditioned house, electricity, running water, a shower any time I want, my own room, a full size bed, a flushing toilet. How will I sit in a classroom after this year…not that sitting in a classroom is bad, believe me I see education as such a privilege and a valuable thing. But after being out in the world, seeing so many struggles and being able to get my hands on them just a bit, hopefully leaving a lasting change, I don’t feel like I can just sit. I have to do something. (As is my predicament every time we get down time on the race heh.) Don’t worry family and friends, I’m going back to school. The thought just kind of terrifies me right now. Brooke Fraser says it best in her song titled Albertine—
“Now that I have seen, I am responsible Faith without deeds is dead Now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go... I am on a plane, across a distant sea But I carry you with me In the dust on my feet.”
Carly and I often laugh at how I want to save the world..and I try. But I often end up worn out and my heart broken knowing I can’t do more, but wishing the opposite were true. I’m learning balance ha. I don’t know what I want to do or what I will do..but I pray that I don’t stay idle. May I never forget what I’ve seen, what I’ve heard, smelled, touched, preached, tasted, witnessed, experienced, spoken, shared, hated, enjoyed. Oh Lord..may I never forget.
The pages in front of me rustle in the breeze as I am startled back to reality and realize I am the only one still sitting there, the rain clouds moving in overhead…
About a week ago, I had my 21st birthday. It was definitely one for the books and way better than I could have asked for. I might post a blog about it later..BUT that’s not what this blog is about. This month we are doing soccer ministry!!! The day after we got our contact, he said that they have practice that evening. I’m about to get ready and he comes out throwing a bright red uniform at me.“Actually it’s a match, you’re playing!”Instantly I knew this was going to be a good month.
My whole team and I joke that this whole month is God’s birthday present to me. Because not only are we doing soccer ministry, but we are also have no electricity. Last month we had all the electricity we wanted and lots of down time in the middle of the day. I would be pulling my hair out because I always wanted to play a game or do something active when my teammates wanted to read a book, nap, or rest. So now with our computers constantly dead and no way to fix that little problem, selfishly, I’m excited about it. We are currently living with the pastor and his wife of the church we are working with and we will be doing a lot of preaching there, as well as visiting schools and other things. Yesterday was our first Sunday and 5 of us preached...we call Sunday’s our preachathon.
The vision for this soccer ministry is to take in guys that are involved in drugs, alcohol, or don’t know Jesus and have their lives restored and renewed through the gospel. This ministry is only 3 months old! So far 4 of them are coming to church and one of them that used to be leading some of the bigger crimes in town is now the captain of the team, taking care of his family, cleaned up his life, and is one of the most faithful church members. Our contact Solomon said that the police in town have thanked him for starting this ministry because the crime rate has declined since he started it.The guys that play on this team are from the ages of 17-28. Yesterday at church was one of the boys’ first time at our church. I had a conversation with him and asked him if he had gone anywhere else before.“I didn’t go anywhere else before this..I am catholic but I really enjoyed the service this morning. This is my house now,” he replied as a huge smile spread across his face. I let him use my bible during the service to read the verses that were being shared and he kept reading more every time. He seemed so hungry and like a sponge soaking it all up!! I’m excited for this month, in learning how to speak into them, what my role is, and having a hand in seeing these guy's lives changed.
We are currently playing 4 times a week and I am TIRED and starting to feel a bit under the weather. African rice, beans, and chapatti don’t necessarily restore nutrients to your body after running them all off. Please pray for supernatural energy and health!!
One of my teammates Rachel Van Timmeran is in danger of going home due to support raising. She only needs $2000 more and we are not sure how much more time she has..the cut off date was March 1st. If you feel led to give, please give online by clicking her support me link. I have had the privilege of seeing her grow immensly in the love of God the past few months and she is such a vital part of our team. Please help her stay!
You never realize the impact you are having until you see it all over their face.
It's then you discover that what you are doing is far more important to them than you could possibly begin to understand.
“Thank you for coming to our country. When you come, it shows you love us. You are welcome.”
It’s that moment when you begin to understand that everything you are doing has life changing implications on multiple levels.
It’s those moments that make it all worth it to me..and even harder to leave, knowing that there is so much more work to be done.
Like I said in my last blog, we worked with a bunch children this month who were a bit rough to say the lease, teaching them english. We walked in the first day and watched as the teachers swatted kids on the back of the head, on their backs, arms, whatever was in reach. We watched as the children would then do this very same thing to each other. We saw what was the equivalent of bar fights among 3 and 4 year olds. If one kid fell, it automatically meant others should make a dog pile out of it. A slap in the face was as frequent as every 30 seconds, as was a kick in the back. Better not stand on top of the bench, or the poor child was likely to get kicked or pushed off, falling on his back. It’s a place without rules, without discipline, without a system to get to the root of the issue.
This month we helped build this system from the ground up. We taught the kids how to walk in a line, how to listen when we spoke, how to raise their hands instead of shouting out an answer. We taught them how to follow instructions and how to sit in time out. We taught them that their actions have actual consequences…that don’t include a smack on the shoulder.
At the house where we lived, a man named Pascal came every morning and every night to help cook. I had a conversation with him in very broken English the 2nd night we were there and before I knew it, I had spent almost every night teaching him English as well. A few days before we were leaving I was trying to teach him something that he was not understanding at all. He asked to study it for one week, then I should ask him. Quickly realizing that he had no idea when I was leaving, I hesitantly responded, “…I leave in 3 days..” Everything on his face fell. “…but how will I learn English?” He set down the papers he was studying. He was finished learning for the night.
It suddenly hit me that learning English was a key factor to him getting a better life. That was his ticket, his hope to well being. If you know English in Rwanda, you automatically have job openings, which are so hard to come by. Getting a job is one of the main prayer requests we get when going on house visits. If you know English, you will have a better life. Done. You are valuable. You are rare.
As we left the school on our last day, I felt heavier than I have in a long time, knowing there is so much work left to be done. However at the same time, thankful that I got to be a part of teaching those children and Pascal something so valuable to their lives..so valuable to their futures. I don't know if we will ever truely see the impact we are having. But I'm thankful to have caught at least a glimpse of it this month.
