Life like Christ

Life has truly been a whirlwind in the past 4 weeks. We were in Nepal then flew to South Africa then drove to Eswatini and now are back in South Africa! Even with all the moving parts, life has been great and the Lord has been moving.

During our last week in Nepal, we were able to travel to four different places and do ministry in the mountains! And also see some of the most beautiful parts of Nepal! It was also great to get out of Kathmandu and spend some time with just my team. One of my favorite parts of that week was getting to do some hiking to villages and remind believers of the joy found in Christ. These villages are far away from any town and to get to them, we had to drive through a dry river! In high season, when the river is full, there is no way of getting to town and the villagers are stuck unless they walk the whole way! With that being said, a walk probably would not be that hard for them because they consider a short walk to be 30 or 40 minutes! Some people will even walk 2 hours both ways to get to church every Sunday and a few times during the week when they have fellowships! It was incredible to see how these bodies of believers were so commited to living in community that they would walk however far needed, just to be with other believers. It was also fascinating to hear how the pastor we were working with was from a village that had completely converted to Christianity and then was sending people out to surrounding villages to share the gospel! There were truly living as the first century church did, going anywhere and sharing everything.

Sadly, after that week, our time in Nepal was up and we had to say bye to all the friends that we had made, but also knew that we could be back someday.

Then we flew down to South Africa and drove into Eswatini! We went straight to Awakening which is when 3 squads get together and have a week of worship, sessions, and community! It was an incredible week full of lots of fun, and worship that got our squad ready for our time here.

After the Awakening, we moved into our new house, which is at a small bible college in Manzini and were there for 5 days getting settled and doing ministry before we moved back to where we had Awakening to do Parent Vision Trip (PVT).

During PVT, I got to see my parents for a week, doing ministry and living the Race life with them. It was such a blessing and joy to get to spend a whole week sharing with them about how the race has been and also have some other great conversation. It was also incredible to get to do ministry with them as we played with kids and did house visits for two days! And although I still miss them, seeing them was the little boost I needed to get me through the last two months and I know that I’ll see them so soon!

And finally, we travelled to South Africa, where I am now, for debrief where we’ve spent time reflecting on how India and Nepal were and all that the Lord did.

All that to say, it’s been a crazy month and I know this is probably a lot, it’s been a lot for me too. But the good news is that next week we will settle down in Eswatini and get into the rhythm of life there.

Ministry is going to primarily be going to care points in small villages where kids come after school as a safe place to play, be loved on, discipled, and receive a meal. At the care points, we will support the shepherd and Make (ma-gay it means mother) who make the meals for the 200 kids. We will be playing with the children, planting a sustainable garden, and helping cook the meals. For most of the kids, their parent’s main concern is getting food on the table which often times is all consuming and leaves no time for the children to be loved on or cared for. This makes playing with the kids and loving on them a special opportunity where they get to truly feel seen and loved by someone. But at the end of the day, we do not want to take the glory on ourselves, but rather only be a reflection of Christ. It can be easy to come in and act like a savior, buying the kids many things and being kind. But if all they remember is us, what gain is that? It reminds me of John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” We must fall into the background and allow the Lord’s light to shine through so that all these kids remember of us it that Jesus loves them. No matter if they are rich or poor, what their HIV status is, no matter anything, they’re loved. And it’s only because of Christ’s love for me that I can love them truly and not for selfish gain. Sometimes I still struggle with only loving when I will get something back in return and not selflessly. But that’s not how Jesus walked this earth. No thing was ever to glorify himself. All of the glory he did receive he gave to the God! And yet it would’ve been so easy to take all the credit! Wow! That makes the way he loves and works all the more beautiful. It doesn’t benefit him in any way! It’s simply his joy to love us! And when we know that, we can also live in a way that loves everyone freely.

So if you’ve reached the end of this really long and overdue blog, thank you for reading and also thank you for all the prayer and support. My mom and grandma often tell me that people come up to them at church asking about me and saying they’ve been praying for me which is both such an encouragement to them and me. So thank you, truly.

Prayer requests

1. Only two months left of the race!! With that, that I would finish the race strong and keep going when it’s hard
2. Endurance and strength at ministry, they are long days in the hot sun of Africa which can wear me down easily
3. Continued unity in the squad and my team
4. Guidance on what it looks like to love selflessly