While we were in Spain, we spent the first week focusing on understanding the Muslim people, their culture, history, and more about their religion My heart broke for them and it all makes sense why they are the way they are. Its like when people talk about how I have grown up in the fatherless generation, well they have grown up in a fatherless religion/life style. I've seen lives damaged and hurt because of the lack of a father in their lives that I honestly can't imagine living in a community and life where it was founded on being an orphan and no one ever caring about you. It was really interesting and what we learned put everything into perspective for me about what Islam is really all about beyond what our media portrays.
During our second week in Spain, we had a group come from one of the German YWAM bases that God really just gave them a heart for us and what we are doing. It was like our team had been trying to go deeper and further in all aspects of life but we were just hitting a brick wall and there was something big missing. So God sent them to us to start fighting for us and pushing us to brake through whatever was stopping us from getting where we needed to be. On the second to last day, our team had the biggest break through we have ever experienced on this track. God changed our team dynamics completely and the heart within each of us individually!
The community in the city we lived was unfortunately a very touristy town so we really didn’t get to see an authentic Spanish culture. We did spend time down in the town though and there was such a mix of people there. I really liked it there and wish I got to see more of it to get the real feel for everything!
For our last week in Spain, our team had an outreach to Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia; however, God had a different plan for me. Almost everyone on my team left the Spain base and I stayed there for 4 days without them. It was 4 days of just me and God and really just letting Him pour over me what He wanted me to hear. I got a lot of rest physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. After those 4 days I went home to Colorado to be in my best friend’s wedding and see a lot of friends and family that I hadn’t seen for 5 months, which was really refreshing. I was honored and blessed to be in Erin and Jason’s wedding, and blessed with a small but awesome surprise 21st birthday party!
I don’t think I have ever been at such an amazing place in my life before and God has done a total 180 degree in my life, changing everything for/in me! For so long, I felt like I have been waiting in the desert for 40 years like the Israelites; yet now like Amos when God finally gives everything back to him. It’s been absolutely amazing and I literally sense God sending the rain to pour over me continually. God has always promised that He was going to start the future that He planted in me so long ago if I would just keep standing and faithfully wait on Him. Well I’m here to tell you that God is faithful and He has started blessing me beyond anything I ever imagined.
I already explained everything about how God healed me physically and I’m here to say that its still true today. When I went home for the week, I went to the doctor to check on everything with my health, and well there was NOTHING wrong, which is no little thing. For those of you that don’t know, this past July, I began having major problems with my pancreas which gave me food allergies, and messed up my heart, stomach, digestive system, and so on. I was constantly exhausted and feeling sick, which simply effected my whole life especially traveling as a missionary. However, now I am 100% healed and have started the recovery process of rebuilding my body back up so it can function correctly and my immune system can fight for itself.
I also have my new camera and laptop that God gave me, so I really feel the release from God that this is my time and things are all going to start falling into place from here. I can’t wait to see what else God has for me in life and to what new heights He is going to take me. I have a lot
of work to do.
