The presence of the Holy Spirit breaks social and cultural barriers every time. We serve a God that we can trust to reach his people, no matter the norms of the environment.
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. We wrapped up our time at the Reindom ministry. Our team shed quite a few tears, leaving the kids and ministry hosts we had spent two months locking arms with. It was an honor to serve in Guatemala and learn from such a beautiful culture and people group. From there, a group from our squad hiked to two volcanoes before heading to debrief.
Hiking Acatenango and Fuego was a deeply symbolic experience for me. The two months in Guatemala were a gift from God, and I saw a whole new side of his character. But they were also two very mentally challenging months. Our team and the circumstances surrounding our experience pushed me to deeper sanctification and dependence on the Lord. Hiking the volcanoes felt like a physical representation of what my mind had just gone through. Physically, my body had no problem with hiking for eleven hours in a row, but mentally, I had to believe that God would provide the strength that I needed. When we summited Acatenango the next morning to watch the sunset, it was the most beautiful ending to Guatemala possible. A picture of the glory of the Lord that comes out of hardship. Romans 5:3-5 “not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
God knows the needs of each of his kids. God deeply refreshed my soul at debrief. We were intentionally poured into by our squad leaders, mentor, and coaches who had flown to Guatemala from America. They spoke life over us and also walked us through ways to become more like Christ as we prepare to enter a new country. Our squad prayed through the night for Albania and the culture we were about to partner with, believing that God moves when we intercede. We woke up every morning to a hot cup of coffee, reunited with our entire squad and leadership team, played volleyball and card games, worshipped and invited the Lord to minister to us. We also received new teams and roles. God is so kind, and he is growing my capacity by inviting me into greater responsibility. In Albania, I will be a team leader for the sweetest group of girls. There are four of us (pictured from left to right), Ressie Mae, me, Amanada, and Kayla.
In Guatemala, before receiving roles, I asked God who my team leader would be in Albania. I figured he already knew, and I could just ask him, so that way I could be praying for that person and their leadership. I wrote at the top of my journal page, “Who will be my TL in Albania?” I started writing what I felt in my spirit, and it said, “You. And I’ve used this to prepare you to be a strong one. Be thankful for this season. Now you know how to lead better.” I honestly stared at what I had just written with my jaw on the floor. God continued to pour out specific vision for how I would be a leader and how I should lead my future team. Truly, I had my doubts about whether this was actually God, but I knew it would either be confirmed or denied as the voice of the Lord when they gave out roles. Several days later, the squad leaders asked me to be a team leader, and I was overcome with gratitude that the Lord had spoken to me and then confirmed his voice. As a team leader, my job is to shepherd and disciple the girls on my team. And wow, what a privilege and honor. At training camp, my mentor and coaches all came up to me at various times and prophesied that I was gifted in leadership. Walking in that calling in Albania truly feels like I’m operating in the way God designed me. It is humbling, hard, and sacrificial. But I truly love every second. I have been reading Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and receiving so much revelation from the Lord on how to be a leader after God’s own heart like Moses. Truly, it is by listening to the voice of the Lord. Numbers 1:54, “Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses”. Moses was a strong leader because he sought the face of God, heard his instruction, and then communicated it to the people he was leading. Partner with me in praying that the Lord will speak to me about how to lead this team after His own heart in Albania. That I would lead in humility and full dependence on the Holy Spirit.
From Guatemala to Albania, we had a 43-hour travel “day”. If you know me, you know that is my kind of day. I love airports, planes, and all things travel-related. It was such a joy to be with the whole squad spending time together traveling. Let me tell you, there are no barriers to where the Holy Spirit can move and work. The Lord helped me set a culture on our new team of praying together every morning. On our first flight, all four of us were sitting close together, so we decided to do our morning prayer while we were in the air. We prayed and brought our day before the Lord, asking that God would help us to be in tune with His Spirit as we traveled and not check out. As we lifted our heads from the prayer, one of the flight attendants came by and dropped handfuls of snacks in our laps. He had a huge smile on his face and said, “God heard your prayers”. He then shared how he was a new Believer and how much it encouraged his faith to see people praying. After sharing, he moved to help another passenger and our group prayed and asked the Lord for scripture and words of encouragement for him. I asked God, “What do you have for Edwardo? and “What do you love about Edwardo?”. God shared his heart for him through Jeremiah 29:10-14 and some of the ways he wants to use him in the future. When Edwardo returned to our row, we prayed and spoke the words of encouragement from the Lord over him. I noticed that as we were talking to him, an older man was intently listening to our conversation. The Holy Spirit really highlighted him in my mind, and I began to pray that he would hear the gospel in our conversation. After we finished praying over Edwardo, I got up and approached the older man. I asked him if he had ever been prayed over before. He shared that he did not believe in religion or prayer, but that I was welcome to pray for him. I returned to my seat and began to heavily intercede for his salvation. I prayed that God would captivate his heart. As I talked to God, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit and received a vision of a magnetic force pulling the man towards the testimony of Edwardo that had just been shared. I felt the Lord say, “He won’t stop thinking about that conversation until he gives his life to Christ. He will know me”. I invited my team into my vision and revelation, and we all prayed over him. Partner with us in praying for Edwardo to grow in his faith and for the older gentleman to give his life to Christ.
As we landed in Albania and made our way to where we would call home for the next five weeks, our team began to pray. We prayed in a half-serious half half-joking way that we would each have our own bed, a hot shower, a kitchen, and fresh veggies to eat. As we walked into our apartment, we were simply giddy that God met every single one of those prayers. And Kayla hollered, “It is even pink!!” I felt like God was reminding us that he is a father who knows and cares about his kids. He heard our requests and chose to meet them out of an abundance of love for us. He is teaching each of us to run to him and believe that he has good things for his children. That moment grew each of our faith.
I am already falling in love with Albania. Our team is in the capital city, Tirana, partnering with a church called ICF, helping with kids, high school, and college programs. We are also working at a special needs therapy center called the Jonathan Center. These ministries are such a gift to serve, and we are already building beautiful relationships. We are believing for God to bring revival to this city and we are so excited to be praying and interceding here!
Keep praying, prayer truly moves mountains!
Grace
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