Hello again! I am so sorry to have gone so long with no update of any kind! On July 29^th, about half of my team flew into Atlanta, Georgia for debrief. The others travelled at a later date due to COVID. On July 31^st, mom and dad picked me up in Atlanta and it was such a sweet reunion. Fast forward to today: I am sitting in 10/40 Coffee on the square in West Plains wondering how I can summarize all the Lord did over two months in one simple blog post. 

Before I go into anything else, I just want to say THANK YOU for all of your support over the past few months! From the beginning, I received so much encouragement, and it was so kind. I am thankful for your generosity in the fundraising process. It was 1000x easier than it should have been simply because of your kindness and willingness to serve the Lord in that way. I have no doubt there is treasure being stored up for you in heaven because of your generosity. Even more than that, I am thankful for your prayers. I have no doubt my team and I were covered in prayer the entire time we were gone. It was so comforting to know i could count on you to pray faithfully. Now, back to the reason for this post. 

Over the last few months, I have seen the Lord move in miraculous ways in my life and in the lives of those around me. I saw Him show up time and time again in big and small situations alike. I learned to hear His voice more clearly than ever before, and I am learning what it means to walk in intimacy with Him. I saw healing and salvation, redemption and restoration. I learned what it means to be in relationship with the God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

The Lord was so kind and so faithful in showing us His presence in each moment on the trip. I do not want to sugarcoat it and make it sound like the two months we were gone were perfect and easy. There were days when we did not want to show up for ministry or fight for loving community. We were always sweating in Costa Rica, and many of us contracted parasites in Guatemala. There were days when we were discouraged and exhausted. However, these moments do not hold a candle to the good times we had. 

When we did not want to show up to ministry, the Lord gave us fresh eyes and a renewed purpose. When we were tired of close community, He reminded us that it is a sweet gift, and it is worth fighting for. When we were sweating 24/7, He kindly reminded us that we are called to serve, and it is not about us at all. When we were up all night sick, the Lord brought comfort and healing. When we were discouraged or exhausted, the Lord spoke to us or used someone else to speak His words. 

Through each moment, I was reminded of this simple truth: He meets us wherever we are. We are His precious children that He has and will continue to fight for. He loves us immensely, not because of anything we have done, but simply because He chooses to do so. His kindness, faithfulness, grace, mercy, holiness, righteousness, strength, wisdom, and love never waver. Because His character never changes and never will, I can confidently put my trust in the God who meets me where I am and will never let me down. I have learned that I can live loved, and I am learning everyday that I can walk in the freedom He offers!

This summer brought me sweet friendships (well, actually I would say it brought me 16 sisters and 1 brother) ? as well as new revelations. I am continuing to sit on the things the Lord spoke to me and seek His voice as to what they might mean, where He is leading, or just the next step He is asking me to take. 

Currently, the next step is heading back to Evangel for junior year! I am sure the Lord is going to continue the good work He began. I am excited for what this next season will bring. I am expectantly praying, and I know He will continue to move in great ways. The same God who spoke to me in Central America is still the same God in Springfield, MO. He leads us from glory to glory, and I am confident that the best is yet to come because God holds my future, and in Him I find hope. 

Thanks for reading! Hopefully this made some sense; I just have so much to share and do not want to leave out anything that I saw the Lord do! If you have any questions or comments, please reach out! I would love to talk to you!