Ministries We Have Partnered With So Far on the Race!

It is already month three on the World Race and so far ministry has been vastly different in all three months. 

Month 1- Colombia

This was all squad month, 44 of us. All month long we split up into different ministry options every day. We had opportunities to do prayer walks around the community, teach Spanish, be apart of a women’s bible study, Agua and Panela, children’s VBS, and youth services. We stayed at a foundation called City of Refuge where we spent all our ministry time with. The foundation was the placed we lived in, as well as a men’s and women’s 9 month drug and alcohol addiction recovery program. Every night the church opens the bottom floor for homeless men to sleep. It was so incredible to me to see the many ways we split up our squad into the different ministry options. Three nights a week our squad split in two, half went out to the streets to serve agua and panela to many homeless people and prayed with them while the other half stayed back and interceded for the group on the roof of the foundation.

To read more about this month, I wrote a previous blog called “It was worth it”…check it out!

Month 2- Ecuador

This month was the first time my team and I were split from our squad. From this point on until we possibly have team changes, we will be together doing ministry. We were partnered with Isaiah 61 International, and it was an incredible blessing to be partnered with them. This was the month that my team and I had a lot of bonding time whether it was at our house or during our ministry hours. For ministry we walked up and down our neighborhood and prayed for the community, we drove an hour and 45 minutes into the city to do construction stuff, a children’s church service, and a youth service. We also did weeding for our host family as well. I enjoyed all of it. The church is currently under construction and raising money for a roof, so we did a lot of shoveling and wheelbarrowing with the pastor. Our toughest challenge was the langue barrier. We did not have a translator, so google translate came in handy last month! One day the Pastor was driving my teammates and I home and I had a conversation with him about our favorite foods. And the last day we were there he made the food that I had mentioned about 2 weeks prior! Coconut shrimp, fish, mushrooms, and rice! It was a thoughtful blessing for my team and I! Also Pastor Luis has an unforgettable joyful laugh!

We also had the opportunity to teach English at a school in the community! 

Month 3- Cusco, Peru

This month we have the wonderful opportunity to serve with an orphanage of 14 kids. All but one are under the age of 2 years old, and each one of them are so precious. We live with an incredible host family that have made us feel at home! The hosts have been super encouraging with us. As a team we are thrilled to experience working at the orphanage and working on some projects within the community. This week, we have also helped out with weeding. I honestly love weeding. I used to do it with my mother growing up. It gives a lot of space and time to think and appreciate how the Lord has gotten me here. 

Doing ministry can look so different. Whether it is pulling weeds, holding babies, breaking a sweat wheelbarrowing, or passing out bread and water to homeless, it is all a form of worship as God has given us our hands to work with. Our host this month pointed out that it isn’t just about the work we put into it and serving, but it is what God has given in front of us and seeing His goodness in it! We are able to see and appreciate the small things.