Hello everyone,
Greetings from the USA — I’ve made it back after my around the world trip, and SO much praise to the Lord and thanksgiving to you all for your prayers and support. It was a truly incredible time. For those interested, I wanted to follow up on how prayers were answered…
RECAP of destinations
DC to Tokyo: June 28th Tokyo to Beijing: July 3rd Family trip in China from Beijing to Hong Kong Hong Kong to Thailand (Chang Mai): July 13th Thailand to Greece (Athens, Corinth & Thessaloniki): July 16th Greece to Cyprus: July 22nd Cyprus to England (London area): July 24th England to Geneva: July 28th Geneva to Scotland (Edinburgh and Inverness areas): July 31st Scotland to France (Normandy area): August 5th France to Amsterdam: August 8th Amsterdam to Iceland: August 10th Iceland to DC: August 13th
Prayer requests for MINISTRY (Key: normal = request, italics = reflection)
-that I would be able to bring timely, divine refreshment to every person I am able to fellowship with in God’s truth and love — there was a deep sense of resonance I experienced with the teams and times together. Most of the visits abounded in rich conversations and the sharing of our personal testimonies and reflections on God’s goodness. I can affirm much MUTUAL exhortation and truths were shared — I felt so encouraged by the way I got to see the Gospel lived out by these inspiring individuals
-that I would have evangelistic opportunities as well as much time to bring encouragement to current believers — in addition to many times of fellowshipping with Christians around the world over delightful meals, in prayer, etc — I was so excited to witness and partake in timely testifying to truth. Here are two specific moments that stand out: 1) in Japan I got to have lunch and share about my testimony with a mutual friend there, and there was a real sense of engagement and interest in our conversation 2) in France, I got to be present when my church planting friends shared the Gospel with a contact, and she received the message it in tears right then and there! She was crying (we all were) as we delighted in God’s forgiveness and eternal redemption for our new sister
-that His workers serving abroad would have joy, rest, perseverance, financial provision, and a deep love for Jesus — across the world I got to see the incredible power of God’s grace in the lives of those he calls abroad. My belief in the idea that “where God guides, He provides” was incredibly strengthened — I saw how workers in many different areas and with various means of impact were settled, healthy, and had a supernatural love for the people they served
-that God would establish the work of these missions teams and bring revival and hope to Asia and Europe — I got to hear SO many testimonies of how the Gospel and goodness is advancing, even in very “unlikely places!” Everything from the establishment of healthy churches and ministries in countries with less than 2% Christians, to reconciliation work being done in divided nations like Cyprus, to deliverance from drug abuse, to vision casting for a whole nation’s transformation for the better, it was incredible to see “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” with more clarity and expansiveness than I ever have before
Prayer requests for PERSONAL
-physically, that I would be safe, wise, fearless, and healthy while traveling — I am very happy to report the “small miracle” that of my almost 20 flights I never had a cancellation / registered delay or issue with my checked bag. My 6 weeks overflowed with almost completely smooth logistics, good sleep and energy levels, and a sense of being protected and secure (no nerves in the Bangkok airport at 2 am) — glory to God, right? :)
-emotionally, that I would be grounded in God’s love and able to give, serve, and bring much joy everywhere I go, and trust Him for the future — By His grace my trip felt both exciting and adventurous, as well as more restful and reflective than I had anticipated given the level of constant transition. I had wonderful time to journal and consider what I was learning and where it’s taking me. I feel more called than ever to support missions with encouragement, giving, prayer, and advocacy, and am now strategizing how I can do that more in the years to come
-relationally, that I would be completely led by the Lord in where and with whom I spend my days and be a conduit of His goodness — I was really glad that I got to have a great variety of times with friends and interactions over the six weeks. In addition to many missions teams, I got to catch up with some great friends of mine from NYC in Greece, a close sister from college in London, and of course sweet family time in China. There were also a few fortuitous moments, like just missing another of my missionary friends in the Bangkok airport (neither of us are from Thailand), and making new friends with DC-area natives in Iceland
-spiritually, that I would take advantage of the changed rhythm to draw close to the Lord, especially by means of a current devotional idea I have in praying the Bible —in addition to good amounts of emotional rest, I also got to have sweet times of worship and sensing closeness to and love in God. L’Abri fellowship in England proved a wonderful spiritual respite (so cool to see believers take time from their callings to embrace monastic-like routines and communal living). I also loved enjoying God’s creation through exploring new places (new faves based on their refreshing feel: Amsterdam, Geneva, Chang Mai)
Thanks for reading and feel free to get in touch with me for more details, some pictures, or further reflections. Can’t wait to get to see God’s goodness continue to spread around the world. I am VERY blessed to do so alongside of you all.