Hey everyone! I apologize I haven’t been able to update you for awhile! My role team leading requires a lot of my attention and energy, and I was recently invited to continue team leading for the second stage of the Race! In September we were in Albania, October was Kosovo (video filled with stories coming soon), and now we are on month 4, in Ukraine.
Ministry of Team Leading
I’ve really cherished the opportunity to work with our hosts to collaborate on a schedule for our team each week, and encourage them in their faith and call from God. Empowering and getting to know each of my teammates personally has stretched and humbled me. Constantly pressing us toward seeking God and unity has caused me to grow in boldness, wisdom, and communication. I whole-heartedly accepted this role, because God promised to first lead me. To first shepherd me. To first strengthen me. To first invite me to rest and not strive. To not hold me to a standard of perfection, but to a standard of transparency and moldability. And the most peaceful part of it, is it’s not about me, it’s about directing others to Him.
I felt the “gorilla” jump on my back this last week for the first time on the Race–showing me the areas where I still try to function in “my own strength” and folks, it wasn’t enough. My capacity for patience and capacity to be unoffendable was running low. But the Lord reminded me of Psalm 71:14. In this Psalm, David summarizes his life and points out that through every high and low, God was near and faithful to him. Psalm 71:14 says, “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” It was a beautiful challenge, that no matter what I face, it is an opportunity to turn to God and worship. To turn to God and cry, “Father, I need you! Increase my hope! Increase my faith! Increase my capacity to love and forgive!” By fixing my eyes on the grandness of His character and His Word ministering to my heart, my spirit is renewed and my perspective reoriented. Thanks be to God for His dedication and power to transform our hearts and minds to look more like Him. I thank God for inviting me to serve my team in this way, in a way that causes me to depend on Him more than I feel comfortable sometimes! ; )
Albania
Jehovah Jireh are the Hebrew words meaning, “The Lord will provide.” In this video above (https://youtu.be/1TGt3g3F2s0), I share stories about the ministry we did in Vlorë, Albania. Since Albania is a predominantly Muslim country, I found that with most of the people we met, was their first encounter with Protestant Christians and hearing the Gospel. We got the opportunity to spend time with them and invest in them, doing regular everyday activities together, and praying that the Lord would move them one step closer to Him by our time there.
By serving in Albania I saw more of how abundant God’s provision is for us. Albania was a land of abundant vegetation. We arrived with no host, no assigned ministry, and no place to stay, and yet the Lord provided all of those things for us–a Bektashi Muslim man partnered with us in serving an unreached village. How amazing! We both were so respectful of each other and took the approach of a student in understanding each other’s worldview. After my time serving there, I can say this verse with understanding:
“25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:25-29; NIV)
“If He dresses the lilies with beauty and splendor /
How much more will He clothe you? / If He watches over every sparrow / How much more does He love you?” (“Jireh” by Maverick City Music)
3 of our teams got to celebrate Thanksgiving together with our host families and the local church, yesterday evening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for taking such good care of me! I am about $500 away from being fully funded! Thank you so much for your prayers–they make a difference! Please continue to pray for hunger in our hearts to know God more and that we would find our strength in Him. Please also pray that God would prepare people’s hearts that we meet to encounter Him, and turn to His grace and love!
Stay well. Live blessed. And don’t be a stranger… comment below! Hope you had meaningful Thanksgivings! : )
