Ministry Update!!

Happy April y’all! Crazy to think I’ve been on the race for three whole months, just crossing the halfway point. While it’s been slow at times, for the most part it has flown by. I have been so blessed in forming wonderful relationships and growing in my relationship with the Lord much since I left on January 3rd. Based on the way the last three months have gone, I can’t wait to see where the next take me. 

To give you an update on what ministry has looked like recently: my team and I spent the month of March in Rio Grande, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We arrived by ferry to the peninsula and were greeted by our host, Hector. Hector is a pastor of one of the two Christian churches in the small town of Rio Grande. We lived in the nearby, empty home of Hector’s daughter and walked to Hectors home three times a day for meals made by his lovely wife, Patricia. Rio Grande was HOT, in the 90°s everyday with two fans to keep us cool. So hot, in fact, that culturally no one works during the heat of the day. A typical day looked like waking up at 5:30am for breakfast, then heading to the garden to weed and plant with the boss, Lisbey. At 9am, we would head back to the house and rest until lunch at 12. After lunch, we would continue to rest until around 3 or 4pm and then leave for evangelism. We visited a handful of small neighborhoods and got the opportunity to listen to many stories and pray for many people. After evangelism, we would attend a variety of outdoor house churches and preach a message. I got the opportunity to preach once on 2 Samuel 12 and share a bit of my testimony with a wonderful group of people. The town itself was small yet beautiful, centered around a large soccer field and one small store that we commonly bought ice cream at. The month of March held much abandonment for me: no mirrors, no WiFi, and for a portion of time no talking. This month was stretching and revealing in many different ways. The relationships I formed here with the locals are relationships I treasure and are people I will miss dearly. While I am ready to see where the rest of my race takes me, I will miss Rio Grande much. 

That being said, I have some updates! I will be spending the next three months in the country of Panama!! My original plan to go to Africa and Cambodia has changed much due to COVID, but I am content with the changes knowing that I am being placed where the Lord chooses. 

Along with a new country comes another big change… team changes. Although I just wrote a blog about team Refuge, we will no longer continue serving together. It has been a blast getting to be family with these girls and I love them all very much. The few men on our squad are forming a team to do “manistry” for the next three months, so three new teams of seven girls each are being formed. Three of the teams (two girl teams and one boy team) will be at the YWAM David base for the month, while the other team will be at a different YWAM base. YWAM, or Youth With a Mission, is a program similar to the World Race. The program is focused on discipling youth and sending them into the mission field all over the world. The team that I will be serving with is Aby Maybry, Hannah Jones, Bree Patton (from old team), Sara Morris (from old team), Jaylin Goins, and Aneleise Orticelli. They are wonderful women from my squad who hunger for the Lord in deep ways. I am so excited to do life and ministry with them in this next season! Please be praying over our new team, that we would continue to place Jesus at the center of all we do.