Bev Rhoades Completely HIS - The World Race 2008

My Final Thoughts

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In 2 days The World Race will be over and I will be boarding a plane back to the States. In these last few days I have spent a lot of time with the Lord reflecting on the last year of my life. In 2 days I will be back in the States reunited with friends and family. In 2 days this amazing experience will seem more like a dream than something that actually took place. In 2 days I will be "home" whatever that means...but really it is the NEW me that is coming home. Through my time of reflection the Lord has shown me areas in which I have grown. I am not the same person I was when I left 11 months ago. The former self (which I will refer to as she or her) was unsure of her identity in Christ. She was a person that had listened to the lies of the world for so long that truth seemed distant. She doubted everything and everyone. She lacked wisdom, confidence and walked in an air of selfishness. My former self searched for love, attention, and approval in the wrong places and in the wrong ways.

Now as I return home the former self is gone. In it's place is a strong woman of God coming forth that walks with an air of confidence. Doubt has been replaced with TRUTH. I now return home confident of the woman God has created me to be. I return home knowing who I am in Christ and who Christ SAYS I am. I am beautiful, passionate, and worthy of being pursued. I now walk in a spirit of wisdom that the Lord has given to me over time. I have learned what it means to be patient in all things as God has walked me through the fire of refinement over and over and over again. I say these things not with an air of pride but with humility as I look back and realize where I WAS and where God has brought me today. The road has been hard at times, up hills and down through valleys; sometimes the obstacles have seemed to large to get around or over- much less through, and at times the road has been easy, leading me beside quiet streams and beautiful gardens. All in all I have found that God has been there with me every step of the way. He has brought me through some of the hardest things that I thought impossible. He has given me a spirit of joy and a delight that comes only from the intimacy that I have found with Him through His Word and through spending time with him in prayer.

The World Race may be coming to an end but the journey is just beginning. Yes, this chapter in my life is about to close but a new one is about to open. God has brought me a long way, yes, but oh...I still have SO far to go! God is not done with me yet. This trip is done, but God has equipped me with the weapons and tools that I will need later on in this journey we call life. I am returning home a new person, and I am eager to share what God has taught me with all of you!

Prophecy Fulfilled

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Pretty much exactly a year ago when I was at training camp for the World Race former team Dunamis ended up in a hospital praying for people. Neil, Sara, and I ended up in a room of a man we didn't know praying for him and his family. That is how we met Ron, the man that began speaking crazy things over our lives. He spoke so many prophecies over us that day that I to be honest was skeptical that they all would come true. Looking back...I have realized that there have been several things that he spoke over us that day that have happened pretty close to the way he said it would. One thing in particular: he told us that almost exactly a year to the day we were there that God was going to use us and something big and crazy was going to happen. And well he was pretty much right on.

When my team (Remnant) was in Panajachel, Guatemala last month we randomly met a pastor named Caesar. He just happened to be in town and just happened to come to Pastor Benjamin's church that night. After praying over several of us that night, he was talking to us about The World Race. When he found out what we do he was super excited telling us that he knows several pastors in Nicaragua and wanted to set up a crusade for us mid August. We weren't really sure if things would work out...I mean it sounded cool but we just couldn't say for sure. Pastor Caesar did not give up however. He insisted that this crusade was something the Lord was orchestrating and calling us to be a part of and he would not take no for an answer (we said no several times).

Once we were in Nicaragua and deep into ministry the crusade kept coming up. Both Pastor Caesar and Pastor Benjamin from Guatemala continued to tell Neil how important it was that we go through with this...that it was what the Lord wanted. It was then that I remembered the words that Ron had spoken over us and realized that the crusade was going to fall only days after that prophecy had been spoken over us almost a year ago.

So we went for it. We could only send four each day so Neil, Dennis, Carly, and I went the first night. We found ourselves in a parking lot type setting...what was actually an open air church. There was a stage set up with lights and sound, a band, and rows and rows of chairs. Several churches were present and the place quickly filled up. We were in the middle of a barrios so there were lots of people on the outskirts standing so they could hear what we were saying. We worshiped (even after the power and lights went out...which made the crowd sing louder), we prayed, and people preached. Then it was time for the "altar call". The stage was flooded with people that needed prayer. I was humbled. We along with several of the pastors present spent the next 45 minutes or so ministering to those that had come forward. At one point, I was standing beside Pastor Caesar praying over this woman that had come forward. After a while, she actually manifested a demon....she started screaming and jumping around. We formed a circle around her and let her struggle for about 5 minutes. Then, Pastor Caesar barely touched her head and cast out the demon in Jesus Name and she literally collapsed limp onto the ground. We moved on continuing to pray for people. After the service was over this same woman came up to me and gave me a huge hug...in fact she didn't want to let go. She said something to me in Spanish which I couldn't understand. I just held her and kept telling her she was now free. I looked into her eyes and they were different...there was now a light and a joy in them. While I was hugging her this woman came up to me with her baby that had a stye on her eye. She was asking me to pray and to anoint her baby with oil. So I did just that (while the other girl is still clinging to me). I prayed healing over the baby's eye and it went away!

I was humbled that night as I realized that people were coming to me for anointing, for prayer and asking me to pray for them for healing. Why me, Lord?

Later that night as the Pastors brought us home I was overcome by the goodness of the Lord. First of all...I was just in awe of what HE had done that night, how HE had shown up and worked in the lives of many. Also, I was so humbled that the Lord blessed us with little blessings the whole night (they picked us up in a Chevy Suburban with AC, and they took us to PIZZA HUT afterwards!) When we got back to our house the pastors wanted to lay hands on us and pray for us. Pastor Caesar had told us at dinner that the Lord told him he was to pray anointing on one of us...he prayed for me three different times that night. He prayed over my hands specifically, prayed for more power of the Holy Spirit, and told me that with just one touch I could lay hands on someone and they could receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The third time they prayed for me the Spirit fell on me, and my hands began to shake uncontrollably as I started speaking in tongues. This went on for about 15 minutes and then Pastor Caesar and Pastor Luise started praying peace over me....it ended as quickly as it started. Before that night, I had had a really bad fungus outbreak on my right hand that I had picked up in Guatemala somehow and it wouldn't go away...I noticed the next day that it was nearly gone! I'm not completely sure what happened that night...some of the details are foggy. And I can't really explain to you about what happened to me that night, except that it DID happen, but I do know this: it was the power of the Holy Spirit. Everything that happened that night was not because of me or Pastor Caesar or anyone else but it was Jesus and what He was doing.

Why me, Lord? But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Home Sweet Home

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone! Well...here we are in our very last week of ministry on The World Race. Next week we will be heading to Costa Rica for our final week of debrief before returning home! It is hard to believe a year has passed already and this crazy adventure is quickly coming to an end. I wanted to send out to all of my supporters and blog readers my deepest felt gratitude for everything you have done for me over the last 11 months! Thank you so much for all of the financial support you have given to make this possible. Thank you for keeping up with my blogs and the work God is doing and continues to do in the Nations! Thank you for always uplifting our needs in your prayers. Please continue to pray for us that we may finish strong in our last week of ministry and that we would continue to see God work in amazing ways. Pray also for us as we prepare to head home. Our squad of 50 has become super close, like a new family, so it will be hard to say goodbye...so just keep us in your prayers that we would all leave and end well with each other and that the transition back into the States would be a smooth one! I love each and everyone of you and look forward to seeing your smiling faces!

IN God's amazing Grace,

Beverly Rhoades

Granada, Nicaragua

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here we are, month 11 on The World Race and as I sit here I wonder where on earth has the time gone too? Team Remnant and Team Holy Banditz are working here in Granada, Nicaragua with an Adventures in Missions contact. There is a lot to do here which keeps us busy! There are several programs we are working with, they include: a feeding program at the trash dump, another feeding program in one of the barrios close to our home, tutoring at a girl's home, visiting a nursing home, men's and women's Bible Studies, working with a local church, and a home for disabled kids where we are helping them decorate a float for an upcoming parade here in Granada! SO God is doing a lot here and it's exciting to be a part of! Please keep us in your prayers as we put our hands to the grind in our last few weeks of ministry on The Race. Pray for the things God is doing here, lives that are being changed. Pray for us as a squad as we prepare to reenter the States in a few short weeks. More to come later!

24/7 365

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Over the last 11 months I have formed a lot of definitions in my head concerning what the word "ministry" really consists of. Sometimes its manual labor, sometimes sitting with orphans, sometimes preaching; but whatever it is that we are doing there has been one consistent thing: that we are bringing the love of Jesus to someone. We are praying for them, laying hands on them-asking for healing, or whatever it is we feel the Lord calling us to do.

Although I have spent a lot of time thinking about what "ministry" really means, God continues to show me new things. Recently, God has been showing me that ministry is not like a job. Ministry is not this ambiguous thing that you do Monday through Friday from 9-5. In fact, ministry is not like a "job" at all but more like life. God is showing me that "ministry" is my life and it's never ending. It is something He has called me to do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. He has also been showing me that ministry involves being open to what God has for me WHENEVER He chooses. God's anointing and power can fall on any person at any time in any place as HE ordains; the KEY is asking the Lord to open our eyes and our ears to the opportunities He is placing directly in our path.

Last week as our squad was making our way by bus from Guatemala to Nicaragua God gave me an "unexpected opportunity" for ministry. We were at the Guatemalan/El Salvadorian border. I had just gotten my passport stamped and was heading back to our charter bus. The night before our Guatemalan contact, Pastor Benjamin was praying over me and told me that the Lord was going to give me a healing anointing. He encouraged me to keep my eyes open for what God has for me, especially if I found my self delayed at the border the next day. All morning I had been thinking about what he had said and I kept getting this vision of laying hands on someone and praying for healing at the border. I couldn't figure out why I could not get this thought out of my head. I also prayed that I would actually SEE a miraculous healing, and I kept hearing, "You don't have to see a miraculous healing, you have the faith to believe it can happen even if you don't physically witness it." So, I am coming back to the bus and I come around the open bus door and there right beside our bus was this man in a wheelchair begging for money. I noticed as I approached him that he was missing his right leg and his left leg was severely crooked. I instantly knew that God had placed him there for me to minister to. I went up to him and in broken Spanish asked if I could pray for him. He nodded, and I asked if he knew who Jesus Christ was and he nodded again. I laid hands on him and began praying for him in tongues. It was at this point that my flesh was set aside and the power of the Holy Spirit took over. Things began to happen that I had no control over. As I was praying the hand that I had laid on his shoulder got really hot (I was standing in the shade) and my right hand began to shake. As I continued to pray eventually my whole body was shaking and moving in a way that words cannot explain. I knew I was under the power of the Holy Spirit, but my mind was wondering what on earth was going on. I prayed that he would receive full healing in his leg, that the Lord would grow him a new one. I prayed provision over his life and claimed healing in Jesus Name. After I was done and getting back on the bus I noticed he was overcome with tears.

As I sat there on the bus I was overcome with emotions. I put in my ipod and just worshiped the Lord for what He had done. I was overcome for the condition of this man and began to intercede for him. I read Acts chapter 3 where Peter and John tell the man at the temple gate: "silver or gold I do not have but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth get up and walk!" I claimed this verse over this man's life. As I was interceding for him I just kept getting this vision of his leg growing back, him getting up out of his wheelchair and RUNNING with the joy that comes with full restoration and healing. I firmly believe with ALL of my heart that that man met Jesus on the road that day and that Jesus fully healed him-that his leg grew back and he experienced the joy of being able to walk!

God works in mysterious ways. He can use us at anytime as long as we are open and willing to His leading. God used me to minister to a man as I was on a hot, stinky, 40 hour bus ride from one country to another. My question for you is this: Are you open to God's calling? Are your eyes and ears open and ready at ALL times for the opportunities He may be putting right in front of you? Don't miss out on what God has...because being open to His leading is one of life's best blessings.

Much More Than We Asked For

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Today was my day off and so Kelly Chadwick and I decided to go shopping for a while. At one point we decided to stop and get some ice cream. As we are sitting in the ice cream shop eating our yummy cones two little boys came up to us asking, "Please one Ice cream! 1 Ice cream!" Kelly said, "Sure! I will buy you ice cream!" These two boys faces literally lit up from ear to ear with big teethy grins! So then, in attempts to test his limits, one of the boys points to a poster hanging on the wall of an ice cream sunday. (which was more expensive). Kelly responds with, "OK!". The utter shock on the boy's face grew even bigger, so then testing her again, he points to the banana split below (even more expensive than the sunday). Kelly goes, "OK! Whatever you want!" These two boys were practically jumping up and down at this point! (They probably don't get ice cream much!) Then, Kelly asked what their names were...one of them was named Jesus (pronounced He-Sues) which made this little treat even more delightful! She wasn't just doing it for them but she was doing it as if they were really Jesus in disguise.

So that got me to thinking. I think God is a lot like this scenario. We come to Him and we ask Him for something that we think to be simple. Unexpectedly He says "Sure!" So then we begin to test the limit to His generosity and slowly asking for more than what we originally had asked for. Then, we stand there shocked and in awe when He keeps saying "OK!"

So...what exactly am I trying to convey? We need to be bolder in our prayers with the Lord. He has SO much to offer us...SO much He desires to give us...not because we DESERVE it or WANT it but just because He LOVES us! He is waiting there to give us these things that we can't even wrap our minds around, blessings that would completely astound the average person, but we aren't asking for them. He is waiting, but we aren't asking! SO dare to be BOLD in your prayers! Dare to ask God for crazy things that part of you says you will never receive! Why not? Also DARE to be BOLD in your FAITH. KNOW and BELIEVE that Jesus IS going to provide those things you are asking for! (Obviously He also knows your heart in this too...I am not telling you to go and ask God for a million dollars to spend on your own selfish desires.) For example...I have asked God to heal my eyesight, and I BELIEVE with all my heart that He is fully capable and willing to answer that prayer. So ask God for the big things! He may shock your socks off! :)

Life in Panajachel, Guatemala

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My team is now in Panajachel, Guatemala where we have been working for about a week now. So far it has been incredible! Panajachel is located right on this huge, beautiful lake with volcanoes and mountains all around it. Everything is green and the temperature stays in the mid 70's most of the time! We are working with a local pastor here named Benjamin...who has an amazing testimony...upon which I may be writing a separate blog about in the future...BUT until then let me fill you in a little bit on what we have been doing over the last week.

Most of our time this past week was spent doing construction on 2 different houses here in Panajachel. The first house is for a mother and her 4 children. The second house is actually an old run down hostel that a man in the church owns. His dream is to one day have it renevated so that missionary teams can come and stay at a cheap price. We have been doing a LOT of demolition...first removing all the stuff on the metal roof, then removing the steel sheets from the roof (the open space you see in the picture to the left was one all roofed in...we removed it) tearing down rotten wood beams, and throwing away tons and tons of trash and rubbel! We are excited to one day see the finished project!

At night our contact Benjamin pours into us with various teachings from the Word...and it is SO nice to be poured into at this point in the Race! We also have been very involved in Ben's church which meats several times during the week. The Holy Spirit is alive and at work here in this place! The other night during our church service the Lord told me to pray for the woman sitting behind me...so I layed hands on her, and began praying for her in the Spirit. I heard the Lord say, "She is redeemed, her sins are washed away, and I have healed her." Literally right after I heard the Lord say "I have healed her" she began to throw up this white/yellow mucous. I knew she had just been healed...and delivered from whatever was ailing her. One day last week while we were working a man named Rudolph came up to Ben-he had spent the previous night drinking and had an extreme hangover. He told Ben that he wanted to change, and so Ben said he could change right now...so Ben brought Rudolph to our work site and put him to work for us! He worked hard all day and worked off his hangover. He was at church that night and came to the Lord. We have seen Rudolph several times in passing on the streets and each time he greets us and tells us how thankful he is that we found him and brought him to Christ. From the few times that we have seen him it appears that he was sober...praise the Lord! God is at work here and it is exciting to be a part of. I will try and keep everyone posted on what God continues to do here in the 2 weeks we have left here.

Climbing Pacaya

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A few weeks ago when our squad arrived in Antigua, Guatemala we learned that the monstrous active volcano (Mt. Pacaya) that looms over that ancient city was climbable. Who wouldn't want to climb an active volcano but a bunch of crazy young adults traveling around the world? So we rose to the task one day...paid the equivalent of 10 USD and we were off for a day of adventure. I think most of us agreed to the hike without much hesitation at first...I mean, it couldn't POSSIBLY be that bad or hard...right? Our day started with a bus taking us up about three quarters of the mountain...where we were left to tackle the last 4.5 kilometers on foot. Our guides kept saying, "Ellos es muy loco"...why on earth would they be telling us we were crazy...hmm...if that wasn't fair warning....well....

At first the hike was surprisingly pleasant. Yes we were climbing significantly in elevation making breathing troublesome at times-however, the night before our hike one of my squadmates prayed over my lungs (I had suffered from chronic bronchitis on and off for the last 3 months) and I didn't really have much trouble breathing that day-something that surprised me. (more thoughts on this at the end)...

After almost 2 hours of hiking we reached what seemed to be the top...but in reality we still had a good 1/4 of the way to go. So we took a break and took in the view not thinking about the fact that this was the farthest you could go by horse...hmmm I wonder why? The last part of the climb proved to be one of the hardest, steepest, climbs of my entire life. We were now past the tree line hiking through knee deep ash...well I should probably say SLIDING through knee deep ash. The climb quickly turned treacherous as the knee deep ash was replaced with "lava rocks"; loose rocks that are super sharp to touch (due to the cooling and remelting of the lava). We were now hiking on all fours up an incline that was about at a 45 degree angle. Each step up on the treacherous, sharp rocks caused you to slide 3 steps backwards...and to make things even MORE fun and interesting the rock was beginning to get hot because we were getting close to the volcano's crator. At one point I wanted to give up. I was tired, I had now cut my hand several times on the sharp rock, I was out of breath, and the sheer reality of how high we were and the treacherousness of the situation made me want to throw in the towel. Upon hearing me say that, a girl coming down the mountain said, "NO! Don't give up now! You are almost there and I promise it is worth it!" SO I kept trudging along, asking the Lord to give me strength for each step. Finally we reached "the top" (really not the top but as far as they will "safely" let you climb) and we found ourselves standing on rock that was NEW, watching molten lava spill out just feet before us. (In fact you could feel the heat through your shoes). After roasting some marshmellows and taking some pictures to prove our crazy story it was time to head back down the mountain. Now if you can imagine the climb UP the mountain please try to picture how HARD going DOWN was going to be. I was by this point physically exausted and my fear of heights was kicking in full force. BUT the Lord was good to me, and one of the guides helped me down the whole way...a BLESSING I can promise you!

For me, this adventure was more than just an adventure. God used this situation to teach me several things. First, I realized that God had brought healing into my lungs. I realized this when I noticed everyone around me breathing hard due to the elevation and severity of the hike, but I wasn't. After struggling for 3 months with bronchitis can you even begin to believe how BIG of a deal this was? Second, the Lord used this situation to show me that HE is bigger than the fear that certain situations may envoke. He is able to help me with each treacherous step along life's journey. Three: often times we face trials and struggles in our lives that are much like me climbing up the last part of this volcano. At times you want to throw in the towel and give up, but then someone comes along and encourages you to keep going and tells you that the top is just within reach...and something inside of you rises up. That something is perseverance and the Lord gives it to us often when we are at our weakest moments...when we think we can't go another step. But perseverance ALLOWS us the sense of achievement when we reach the top and realize the struggle was WORTH it all along. So climbing Mt. Pacaya for me was about a testing and strengthing of my faith, of the determination and willpower inside of me to rise up in extremely HARD situations and trudge through to the end. It showed me the reliance I NEED on the LORD and on the community of people HE has placed around me in order to walk through some of life's hardest journeys. And the view from the top...well there is only one word to describe that...priceless.

Welcome Back 3rd World!

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome back, 3rd world! Where this time you ask? Here we are in month 10 of the world race in beautiful Guatemala. Over the last week I have found myself realizing how much I have missed being in the 3rd world. Upon entering Guatemala I was greeted with familiar sounds (like roosters crowing and horns blaring), smells of all kinds, and beautifully amazing PEOPLE. I had no idea when I was in Europe how much my heart had grown attached to being in 3rd world countries. Upon venturing out into the market place to buy fruits and veggies for teammates I realized how much fun it is...going into a crazy, twisty, zigzaggy marketplace and trying to understand the local language and barter to get the right price. I love the women that try to sell me necklaces on the street corner as I pass by. You know what else I love though? I love getting the opportunity to hold malnurished babies in my arms, I love giving a homeless person a meal. I love playing with the kidos on the street. I love the music, the food, the culture, the atmosphere. I love to love on God's chosen children...children the world have labeled as poor, abandoned, and forgotten. I love bringing HOPE to the stranger I pass on the street who is searching for anything and everything. I love that I am bringing God's KINGDOM to this place. I love this PLACE and I love HIM who sent me.

Two more months left on this adventure called The World Race, and I have realized that I am NOT ready for it to end just yet. God has us here for a purpose, and I am excited to see that purpose come to life. Please be in prayer for us. Three teams (Remnant, Lunchbox, and Crux) are still here in Antigua for a few days as we wait for some ministry stuff to nail down. For the time we are here though we will be volunteering with an organization here in Antigua called God's Child...an organization that rescues children giving them healthcare and a good education. We will most likely be staffing the children's ward for a few days: where they house malnourished babies that have a 95% mortality rate. Basically...you feed them, hold them, and love them....and I can't wait! Thanks for all your prayers...I try to keep you updated on what's next!

Support Update

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I wanted to update everyone on my support status. Currently I have a balance of $704.50 in my AIM account that still needs to come in. Granted a chunk of this is monthly supporters that I have, however if I end up with more money than needed come the end of the Race I can get reimbursed for various things like immunizations, travel insurance, and airplane tickets. If you feel led to donate you can do so by clicking on the "Support Me!" link on the left of this page! There are several other people on my squad still in need of raising the last little bit of support so please be in prayer and ask the Lord if there is any way you can help! Thanks!

Oh Canada

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Canada. That is what I call her. She is also known as Brenda and she needs your help. Brenda Wilchowy needs your help! With only about 2 months left on the Race Brenda is still in need of raising around 1300 dollars. As a former teammate, Brenda aka "Canada" is near and dear to my heart. I have seen her grow in so many ways in the time spent with her on The Race. Brenda really loves the Lord and has a huge heart for His people. I have walked beside her in China as we took the Gospel to unchartered territories. I sat beside her in the bush in Africa as she held a sick baby with Malaria. I have laughed with her, cried with her, drank many a cup of coffee with her, ministered right beside her day and night for months. In the first 4 months of the Race Brenda taught me so many life lessons: she taught me how to serve with a willing heart, she taught me how to persevere, and most of all she showed me how to love. Please help her out if you can! You can donate online by clicking here: Brenda Wilchowy

Radical Obedience

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Radical Obedience. That is what happens when someone is SO passionately in love with Jesus that they can't help but share Him with EVERYONE. That is what Team Fuse did the other day. (Marisa Banas, Janina Laier, Emily Rhea, Abby Barnett, Elizabeth Adcock, Ian Schumann, and Jacob Hoyer) Jesus said that he did not come to save the righteous but sinners and that a doctor is for the sick not the healthy. So, what would you do if God told you to go minister to a Marilyn Manson concert? Would you go? They did. Radical Obedience that I firmly believe saved a life. Please read the blog below from Marisa Banas on what happened that day. I promise-it's worth your time!

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?' Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, 'Take off his filthy clothes.' Then he said to Joshua, 'See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.' Then I said, 'Put a clean turban on his head.' So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by." Zechariah 3:1-5

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All seven of us were waiting for our bus to come. Unfortunately we had just missed it so I decided to rest my back on a nearby post. Others followed me and as we chatted Elizabeth noticed that I was leaning against a very scary looking man with one weird eye ball. The man was Marilyn Manson and I was leaning on his concert poster. He became the topic of our conversation and when we realized that the concert was the next day I exclaimed, "Hey, lets go there!"

We pondered in prayer for a good while before we came to a unanimous decision. It was a go. As we each shared our hearts about what we felt God prompting us to do it was clear that we were to plant seeds of reconciliation. When Manson was young he was shunned by the church due to his awkwardness, likewise his followers often have fallen victim to the same treatment. His platform is publicly founded on satanism and easily draws outcasts. In one of his latest interviews he told his fans that if they feel like committing suicide, to just do it.

We prepared ourselves spiritually the best way we knew how. I decided to dress myself in black leggings with a black skirt and shirt to match; then I covered my eyes in the color of death. My goal was not to mock, but to accept.

On the bus on the way there Emily, Elizabeth, Ian and I were looked up and down. These "children of the light" had a taste of the judgment that some of these people get every time they go out in public. It didn't feel good. We got to the concert, decided to split two by two and dive right in. Liz and Em made there way to a girl standing by herself and Ian and I went for a walk to build up more courage and try to find the person we were supposed to talk to. We finally found a crowded area where we sat and people watched as we prayed about who to approach. We had a tough time because every time we picked somebody out and made the approach they would slowly turn on their heels and start walking away. The freaky thing about this is that it happened SEVERAL times and they all turned in a very distinct way. We didn't really know what to do so we decided to go for another walk. As we did we passed the girls ministering to a girl with big sunglasses on. Her name was Lucy, a beautiful girl with painted pink stripes in her hair and a large gap between her teeth. Our team concurs that she is the reason why God sent us there.

Em and Liz were upfront when Lucy asked why they were at the concert. Liz confidently said, "Well, we feel like God told us to come, and then He told us to come over here and tell you that He loves you." Lucy giggled in surprise. Had anyone every told her this before, it seemed not. Interested in what they were saying, their conversation continued. Once finding out that they were Christian missionaries she apologetically informed them that they were at the wrong concert. "Marilyn Manson is against everything that you believe." The girls told her that it was okay and that it didn't matter. Lucy upside down cross that she wore on her neck sparked a conversation about her beliefs and she told them that she was an Athiest. The girls asked her about her church experience and she told them that she had only gone to a church a few times when she was younger, but it was too rigid and there were too many rules.

As they talked Liz felt prompted to tell Lucy that God thought she was beautiful, and when she did Lucy burst out into more childlike giggles. It was as if the word beautiful was foreign to her. She boldly asked why they thought this and Liz sincerely gave her the truth. She spoke of natural things and shared Psalm 139 with her. And for the first time in Lucy's life, someone bothered to paint a whole new picture of God for her. She was introduced to a God who accepts, befriends, delights in, who is in the habit of giving too much mercy, and too much grace. A God who can look at a girl who has rejected him because she was rejected and send four Americans across the world to go find her.

Liz asked Lucy to take her sunglasses off of her face. As she did so her amber-colored eyes radiated through the black painted circles surrounding them. The girl's reaction was only priceless because it was real. They flamboyantly doted over how stunningly gorgeous they were. In fact, days later when the girls talked about her unveiling her eyes their sincere reaction still gave me goosebumps. I don't think that Lucy was ever given such a response in her life. Shortly after this the girls said their goodbyes and Lucy went into the concert hall.

When we all gathered back together I felt God's delight resting on me like two love birds on their 50^th wedding anniversary. As the girls shared their story I remembered the first time that I was told that God loved me, and the several years after when that precious seed took root and I finally understood how magnificent that statement was.

Before going to the concert I sent out a prayer request to over 100 people. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I knew we needed support. As I look at the whole picture of what happened I am in awe of the height and depth of His love. Do me a favor and try to wrap your mind around this:

For one girl, who had blatantly denied him, blasphemed him, and worshiped his enemy...

He made us late for our bus.
He made me lean against a scary poster.

He gave us the courage to go.

He enlisted over 100 people all around the world to pray to him.

He called many to fast from eating food for an entire day

Then he took his fingers and smushed us together--all so that she could hear these words, "I love you." And because he is patient, because his love endures, he will watch over the seed that he planted and will see to it that it comes into fruition. All this trouble for one girl who hates him.

I'm the Miracle

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the last 9 months I have seen many things. I have pitched my tent beside and among some of the world's poorest people. I have seen poverty and desperation in forms I never dreamed possible. I have held the sick, the dying, the hungry and the forgotten in my arms. I have also seen God in so many people in so many ways. I have seen love, hope, and joy rise from the darkest corners of oppression and desperation the world has to offer. I have had my breath taken away countless times by the beauty of God's creation all over the world.

I have prayed for random strangers I encountered on the street or in the market place. I have laid hands on the sick and begged the Lord for healing. I have witnessed nations crying out to Jesus. I have been invited into many a humble home for tea spending hours interacting with someone that doesn't speak the same language as I do. I have been humbled time and again by the pure generosity of someone literally giving me all that they have to offer. I have lived, laughed, and cried with many of God's chosen: His church all over the world.

In China my team brought the power of Jesus and His Holy Spirit to people that may have never experienced something so powerful and truthful ever in their lives. In Africa I lived in the bush with the Turkana people and witnessed life...from goats to the constant battle with Malaria. In India I worked and loved on boys that society viewed as rejected, unloved, and forgotten. I saw how God was going to use THEM to change the nation of India. In the Ukraine I worked alongside missionaries that were giving all that they had to till the hard, rocky soil to bring truth, to plant seeds. I was able to stand beside them and encourage them in their work, even if no fruit was ever seen. In Romania I lived life with a community of people, the gypsies, who were considered to be 2nd class. I climbed the hills and picked lilacs with children, and then experienced the joy of being a kid again as we played in the grass together using our imaginations to make make-believe come alive. I experienced a Gypsy/Romanian church that was hungry for more of the Lord-so hungry that services lasted 4+ hours because they wanted all of the Word they could get there hands on. I picked wild flowers and sat with a woman that had a tumor on her stomach that gave her the appearance of being 9 months pregnant...just keeping her company. In Germany I am witnessing a generation that is searching for truth, searching and questioning what they really believe. I am bringing God to people who have everything they need..people that think they don't need HIM.

Yeah, I have seen and experienced a lot, but to be honest the biggest miracle is ME. I am not really the same person I was 9 months ago. In the last 9 months the Lord has put me through the fire and refined me. I have been set free from the chains of rejection, shame, and doubt. Gradually, God has peeled away layers of my heart and has touched some of the deepest, most painful areas bringing healing and restoration. I have learned where my TRUE identity lies- in Christ and in Him alone. I have lived life in a community of 48 other people-people that are now family who God has used as a mirror to reveal to me my own issues of pride and selfishness. God placed me in a family of 48 other people that I genuinely LOVE with all of my heart- a family that has taught me and continues to teach me how I will really and truly love my future husband someday. I have learned that there is NOTHING in this world that is too big or hard for the Lord to handle. I rest in the truth that no matter what comes my way, Jesus will be there to hold my hand and walk me through the fire to reach the other side.

The journey is far from over. This CHAPTER is coming to an end, yes, but the JOURNEY is just beginning. I know and understand that there is so much more God is going to take me through-hardships and persecutions that will teach me FAITH and TRUST in HIM. There will be mountains and valleys, tears of joy and tears of sadness. I eagerly look forward to the last 2 1/2 months left on The World Race as well as the places God intends to take me in the future. I am in His hands and there I find true contentment.

So, I Had This Dream...

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So, I had this dream that all of a sudden I was back home....home early. I dreamed I was back to life as I once knew it....a life where I was comfortable, a life where I had pretty much everything that would make me content (long hot showers, an endless supply of freshly brewed coffee at my fingertips, high speed wireless internet, and Wii), a life that really didn't require or need crazy spiritual encounters, and a life that only needed Jesus here and there....

Except, you see, the truth is this wasn't really a dream but reality. No, I'm NOT dreaming, and I am DEFINITELY not home early...but very much still on this adventure called The World Race. Here I find myself in month 9 of The Race not in America or some third world country...but in Cologne, Germany. Here I find myself thrown back into western culture as I once knew it in the blink of an eye. I went from using the bathroom in a wooden outhouse and not bathing for 2 weeks one day to a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom penthouse apartment complete with all the hot water you could ever want in the span of about 24 hours. For the last 8 months I actually got used to being the one that looked and acted DIFFERENT to looking much like everyone else and STRUGGLING to BE different.

The other day as I was journaling and spending time with the Lord, I was drawn to the screen saver that came on my computer. I began seeing images from The Philippines, where I held this little guy named Chris John in my arms one night in a hospital room, desperately praying that the LORD would heal him and watching in amazement as HEALING happened THAT NIGHT.

Then my mind went to other places I had been, people I had encountered, ways in which I had seen God show up. I remembered being in the bush in Kenya, Africa where the Lord brought my team to the site of an African funeral...village style to teach us compassion and to bring an entire village a few seconds of healing through a random song we had practiced earlier that day. I then remembered the joy of taking off my sandals, hiking up my skirt, and wading out into the middle of a dirty African river to witness God's chosen being baptized on Christmas Day. My mind continued to remember...China, Uganda, Tanzania, India...all these exotic places in which I was super pumped to be taking Christ and His love, places where I WITNESSED first hand God showing up and working in ways that I never dreamed of. So, I asked myself, "Why is Germany different?" Why am I not seeing God show up in crazy ways HERE? For the last 8 months I have expected and seen God show up and work in miraculous ways, so why was that expectation all of a sudden absent? Why all of a sudden, was I missing life in the 3rd world?

You see, God showed up in all of those places, because I EXPECTED Him to. "Ask, and I will give the NATIONS to you", God says. So God, why not the nation of GERMANY? "You haven't asked me for it....ask ME, and I will give it to you too." So, God give us the nation of Germany! I'm EXPECTING God to show up here too. Our coaches always tell us that WE are it. We are the generation that brings change. God...they are it too! The students here in Germany that we are trying SO desperately to reach are it too...they are ALSO part of that generation!

No, I'm definitely NOT dreaming. I am living life FULLY ALIVE! I am living a life walking in the FAITH, HOPE, and TRUST in Jesus and the CHANGE that His love can bring. I am living, breathing, BELIEVING that maybe I DON'T need modern medicine to heal my eyes...just the healing power of Jesus...(and 6 teammates who have the crazy, radical, faith that make them want to pool their spit to spread on my eyes in Jesus name...), the life that tells me that my value is in JESUS and no one else, the life that opens my eyes to the girl sitting across from me on the Subway...my heart breaking for her as I look into her sad eyes. THIS is the life I have chosen, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else on earth!

I want to be Hungry

Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I want to be hungry. I'm not talking about physical hunger, I'm talking about SPIRITUAL hunger. This last month in Romania I witnessed a spiritual hunger that I have never seen or experienced before in my life. One evening several of us went to preach at Sandu's church. The church was about a 30 minute drive from where we were in Viile Tecii but well worth it. We sang some songs and two of my teammates preached the Word, but then we were curious as to why the service went on for another 2 hours after we were done...the people kept talking in Romanian and we had no clue as to what was going on.

On our way home we asked Sandu why he kept preaching and wondered what all the people were asking him about. He told us that most of the people in that village could not read. They all come to church to hear the Word. He said, "they are very...how do you say...hungry". He went on to tell us that because they can not read, the only way they get fed is through his preaching. So...after we preached he retold our sermon to them in their gypsy language...but that wasn't enough, they were thirsty for more.

Im completely in awe. Never before have I witnessed such a desperate hunger for more of the Word. God is doing amazing things in this village and it is evident. These people are literally clawing and clinging to the bits and pieces of the Word they can grab ahold of....and it is a beautiful thing. Jesus, I pray that we can learn from them. I pray that we ALL would have a hunger for Your Word and a passion for YOU like that gypsy village did. Jesus...they get it. They understand that this life is all about you and they are desperate for more of You. Thank You, Jesus for showing me this valuable life lesson. Give me more, Jesus. I want to be so hungry for You I can't stand it. Jesus, I want to be HUNGRY. Amen.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fri, 8 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful World Race Mom's out there! This video is courtesy of squadmate Stephanie Connors. So...Happy Mother's day from teams Remnant, Holy Banditz, Fuse, and Crux from Viile Tecii, Romania! Hope you all like this little video...it's long but good! Enjoy! :) We LOVE you MOM! :)

Viile Tecii

Wed, 6 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

So my team has joined 3 other teams in a small village called Viile Tecii here in Romania. It is absolutely beautiful! Green rolling hills, blue sky, and a small country village with beautiful people make for a good place! The town is so small, it only takes a few seconds to drive "through it". Sometimes I feel as if Im in an Amish community because I see horse pulling wagons, and things done "the old fashioned way". I love it. There are a lot of children here so that is our main ministry in addition to teaching English and doing some "fixer uper" type things around our contacts house. We have about a week and a half left here before we all head to Bucarest for debrief. Keep us in your prayers! :)

Ukraine Video

Sat, 2 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here is a short video from the Ukraine. Video is from teammate Carly Farver and photos from Teammate Erin Winget. Enjoy!

Change of plans

Sat, 2 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Please be in prayer for us! Currently the location we are in is too expensive for us...so we are having to move to a different location. Things are still up in the air as to where we will go...so please be in prayer for us as well as Team Clay-we have been working together but will most likely be separated. I will post more information when I get it-if we have internet access. SO...God is closing the door on Targu Mures and obviously has something for us in another village close to here! Keep us in your prayers for clear direction and that the Lord would clearly open another door! Thanks!

Ukranian Nuggets

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This last month in the Ukraine was a refreshing change for me. it's hard for me to explain to you exactly what happened because it was another month where it seemed as if God did more IN me than anything else. My team along with team Clay and a team from the F (July 2008) squad lived outside of a city called Lugansk (about an hour commute by bus: only about 20 minutes from the Russian border). We stayed at a summer camp run by our contact Shane Duke. It was a refreshing change from the city life of the past 4 months. There was nothing around the camp except for open hills....it was beautiful. There was a wide variety of ministry opportunities for us. There were several villages withing the camp that we would walk to to prayer walk and evangelize.

There were also several orphanages that we went to where we did skits and various activities for the kids there. There was a lot of manual labor around the camp that needed to be done in preparation for the coming summer camps. Twice a week we led a prophet school for any Ukranians that were eager to learn more about God's Word. I myself spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping with lunch and dinner...and even making a few yummy treats for my teammates along the way! It was a good month with lots of ministry opportunities.

Please keep Shane Duke in your prayers. As a long term missionary there, he is struggling with many things. The area where his camp is located is a very hard place. There is a dark cloud of hopelessness and depression that lies over that area that stems all the way back from the Holocaust during World War II. There is a spirit of division there. The Ukraine is heavily divided...half are pro-Ukraine. Half are pro-Russia. Russia wants the Ukraine back but the Ukraine wants to be there own country. It is hard for Shane and the other long term missionaries there....Americans are for the most part hated, something stemming all the way back to the Cold War 20 years ago.

Pray for longevity and perseverance for Shane as well as Forest and Darcy (another missionary couple that lived in Lugansk). As hard as it is, they know this is where God has called them, and although they may never see any fruit they know that they have to take joy in the small things: one babushka (grandmother) inviting them into her home is a big deal, etc. Pray for unity. Pray for God to move in a mighty way in that place, that hearts would be broken for God.

Romania-Gypsy Ministry

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Never before in my life has my heart been so completely and hopelessly captured SO quickly as it did yesterday afternoon. We have only been here in Romania for a few days and already I love it here. I love the town of Targu Mures (pronounced Ti-ga-mor-es): it is beautiful. The thing I love the most though is the gypsy children we ministered to yesterday. We went to 2 different villages to evangelize. The first village was a small Hungarian village about 45 minutes outside of town. We literally had church in the backyard of someone's farm! It was wonderful! The second village, which completely captured my heart, was a gypsy village near by.

(Gypsies are a race of people that have been traced back to somewhere in India. They moved to Eastern Europe a long time ago in pursuit of work. Gypsies are considered second class: for the most part they can't get jobs and aren't allowed citizenship in most countries except for Romania. They live in villages set apart from everyone else. Because they have trouble getting work most are extremely poor.)

Words can not really express what happened in my heart yesterday...so I'm just going to SHOW you....enjoy!

Safe and Sound

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

I have been off-line most of the month...our team spent the last month in the Ukraine outside of a city called Lugansk in a small villiage....so internet access was hard to come by. We are all safe, and are currently making our way to our next country...Romania! My team along with the other two teams that were in Lugansk traveled by train last night which now brings us to Kiev. We are here in the train station hanging out all day...later this afternoon we board another overnight train to Buckarest, Romania, where we will get on a 3rd train and travel north our ministry location. It looks like we will be working with YWAM this month, doing a possible coffee shop ministry and working with IHOP (International House of Prayer) along with some other ministry options...that is all I know at this point. I am trying to play catch up, so I hope to have some meaty blogs posted in the next several days to fill you in on ministry in the Ukraine!

Looking Through Clouded Lenses

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Where does great faith come from? How do I achieve a level of faith and trust in my God like Noah and Daniel had? How do I attain extreme trust-the same trust that allowed Daniel to jump into a den of lions without fear or the same faith that caused Noah to work on a ship for 100 years because God told him it was going to rain (Noah didn't even know what rain WAS)? This past month in the Ukraine God called me to great faith and trust in Him.
One day last week I was worshipping the Lord when I felt the urge to go up to the mountain to continue worshipping. (We were at a camp surrounded by open land...hills you could climb and be alone with God). As I was there in the presence of the Lord, I began to pray for healing over my eyes. As I'm praying, I hear the Lord say, "If you want ME to heal your eyes, chuck your glasses over the hill." At first, I thought the idea was insane, so I kept praying. As I continued to pray I kept hearing "Chuck em...how much do you trust me?" After a while it dawned on me that God wasn't just asking me to throw away my glasses and the issue wasn't about my eyes at all-but about trust. I realized I had been living in a life of doubt...always doubting the things the Lord was saying to me, and I was tired of it. I firmly decided I was tired of doubting God. Again I heard, "How much do you trust me? Do you want to trust me like Noah did? You have two choices. A) You can trust me and throw your glasses away and believe that I WILL heal your eyes or B) you can continue to walk viewing life through clouded lenses. Which do you choose?" So what did I do? Yep. I threw my glasses over the hill. As I watched my glasses fade into the green landscape a wave of peace came over me. I looked around and realized I was no longer viewing life behind clouded lenses. The grass was greener. The sky was bluer. I was finally seeing as God intended. As I walked down the hill I stopped and realized I was free. No longer do I have to live under the chains of doubt. I'm free to radically trust my God. I'm free to have the faith and trust Daniel and Noah did.
My eyesight is not 20/20 yet. I can guarantee to you that it is definitely BETTER than it was, but I'm not completely healed yet, and I'm ok with that. Over the next 2 days two different teammates approached me and gave me Mark 8.
"They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, Do you see anything?' He looked up and said, I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly."
Just prior to this story we read another account of Jesus healing a blind man, but he was healed instantly. Jesus chooses to heal in different ways. Sometimes the results are instant, but sometimes it requires more of us-things like faith, trust, and belief. God has chosen to heal ME like he did with the man at Bethsaida. It may require not one healing touch, but two. I am confident of this: God will heal me. This was just one leap of faith, but it marks for me a lifetime of leaps-a life of walking in faith and trust in my God like Noah and Daniel once did.

Jesus Gets the Last Laugh

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jesus always gets the last laugh. As I sit here and type this blog I think back to yesterday...the moment I realized my wallet was missing...I can remember the sick feeling of dread as I realized that my wallet had been stolen. (I got everything worked out....) How do I feel? I feel violated. Someone took what belongs to me and I didn't even know it. Normally, my initial reaction could have been anger, I could have wanted nothing but revenge for that man...to get even. But in the moment, that wasn't what happened. In the moment all I could do was pray for him. All I could do was pray that the Lord would convict his heart for what he had done, pray that somehow the Kingdom would be advanced through an injustice done to me. And in the moment the Lord showed me what true forgiveness is like. And so I had a choice...we all do. I could choose to let the Enemy win, let him push me back and take a piece of my joy. But instead, I have CHOSEN to turn it back around on him. Im turning this injustice back onto him...praying for the man that took what was mine, knowing and expecting God to fully convict and change his heart. Satan thought he was stealing from me, but actually Im stealing from him. Im saving another "burning stick snatched from the flames" (Zechariah 3). Satan, JESUS ALWAYS gets the last laugh!

So...God I pray that you would shake what can be shaken so that what CAN'T be shaken will remain! You are all I ever need and You always provide for Your children! Amen.

Ukraine!

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it safely to Kiev, Ukraine where we are spending a little over a week debriefing. My team and another team along with a team from the July squad will be working in a small village near the Ukrainian Russian border. We will be doing evangelism and preparing a church camp for summer...and possibly working with illegal trafficking! Wont have much internet access....keep us in your prayers!

Bev

Slumdog MillionHEIRS

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So...do you have any idea who God has chosen to raise up the nation of India? It may not be who you think. What if I told you that the people that are going to change India are the poorest of the poor, the misfits that no one wants anymore, the rejected? What if I told you that the ones God has chosen to raise up India are not men, but boys? What if I told you that God has chosen the poor street kids that sleep at the local train station? What if I told you that God's chosen to change this nation get high on glue, gasoline, fingernail polish, and paint thinner and are members of local "gangs"? Was that the image you had in mind?

That is EXACTLY who God has chosen. Yep, these are not your ordinary boys. Most of them come from broken homes. Their father died, their mom got remarried and the new "father" didn't want the children from the previous husband, so they kicked them out. Some don't even know who their parents are, or are afraid to tell the truth in fear of what may happen to them. Somehow, they all ended up on the streets-alone, rejected, and forgotten, left to fend for themselves. Ranging in age from as young as 7 to as old as 14 these boys found their new home living at the train station. They make what little money they can buy carrying luggage for local train passengers. The train station platform becomes their bed at night, with nothing but a burlap potato sack as a "blanket"-the only material thing they own. Sniffing glue, paint thinner, and gasoline become a form of comfort in attempts to take away the pangs of hunger from not eating. Every day they face violent abuse in many forms from police officers, gang members, and train passengers. Many have been severely wounded-one boy lost his leg-he fell onto the tracks and a train ran over his leg.

But amidst the suffering, the seemingly hopeless conditions, there lies a ray of hope. There is a place they can go, a home; a safe place. A place where they can get a shower, put on clean clothes, eat 2 good meals, learn English and about Jesus, and be around people who truly love them. Everyday they come, knowing that once they walk inside that gate, they are going to be overwhelmed with love and attention, and for a few hours they can forget about the reality of the life they are living, the reality that after the day is done, they once again have to go back to sleep at the train station.

They are God's chosen. These are the boys who will one day become men of God, who God is going to use to change the nation of India. These are the boys God has chosen to change and raise up the next generation in this nation. And His favor is resting on them. His Spirit is heavily over each of their lives. I have seen it with my own eyes. I have seen God's Holy Spirit come and rest on them as we pray for them, causing them all to lay down asleep, resting in His love. I have heard countless stories from the loving staff about how God has spoken intimately with these boys, causing them to weep on their face before God.

These boys are heirs to the throne of Christ, and He is using them to change the nation of India. Yep, God purposely CHOOSES the poorest of the poor, the misfits that nobody wants, and the rejected to change NATIONS. See, in HIS eyes, they are not forgotten, but CHOSEN. They are not rejected but LOVED. They are His prized possessions!

Ministry update

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

Just a quick update...2 of our teammates have decided to work with the Mother Teresa homes. (Jessica and Dennis). As for Carly, Michelle, Neil, and myself...we will be working with another organization (NGO..or Non Government Organization) we got in touch with. (I cannot give the name of the organization because we want to ensure their safety here in India...) We will most likely be working with slum and street children. Please keep us in your prayers! Im sorry I can't give more details at this time!

We are excited...we have really saught the Lord and have received confirmation several times that this is the way He is directing us! A major prayer request:

Sickness has been running through both teams pretty heavily. We are trying to figure out the source...maybe something we have been eating? Pray for healthy bodies!!! Thanks! I love everyone and hope you are well! Please send me an email and catch me up on your lives!

Calcutta, India

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello!

Just wanted everyone to know my team and Team Crux made it safely to Calcutta, India! We arrived super early Saturday morning after an entire night of flying! (We began our journey Friday morning leaving our hostel in Nairobi, Kenya....flew out of Kenya around 3ish, got into Qatar around midnightish, boarded another flight to Delhi, arrived in Delhi around 330 am, went through immigration, changed terminals and made the flight to Calcutta literally by the skin of our teeth!)

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We do not actually have a set contact here this month, which means we are ATLin it! (Ask The Lord). Ministry looks different for us this month in that there are tons of NGO's here in Calcutta and several of us are feeling led in different directions. For me personally, I am feeling drawn to one of Mother Teresa's homes for handicapped children. I found out in orientation the other day that working with that home involves doing range of motion type stuff with the kids to help there mobility, changing them, feeding them, doing laundry, helping with dishes, whatever needs to be done, and just spending time with the children loving on them.

Other things to be in prayer over:

1. Physical health- Team Remnant is right now doing pretty well, but team Crux has been fighting some illness (upset stomachs and the like).

2. The poverty here is worse and more extreme than any country yet, so it is hard. Everytime we go out of our hostel, we are bombarded with beggars asking for food or money. We pass homeless people laying on the streets..sometimes whole families including infants and young children.

3. Hindu and Muslim religions are prevalent here. Less than 1% of the population is Christian, so sharing the gospel is hard, and at times risky. (It was mostly Hindu extremists that were murdering Christians several months ago in other parts of India) so we have to take extreme caution and ask the Lord for discernment before speaking anything.

4. We have picked up on a lot of things in the spiritual realm here...especially spirits of anger, lust, and apathy. We are trying to walk in the opposite spirits-praise, joy, and compassion.

I will be posting more soon on life in India. Stay tuned!

Africa-my expectations

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Before coming on The Race, I had these huge expectations of what I thought Africa would be like for me. Expectations of bells and whistles-big things happening in big ways everyday. The expectation that I was totally in love with Africa (or so I thought) and that it was the place to be. I have found that Africa is often times this romanticized place in the eyes of most American Missionaries. This idea that you have made it as a missionary if you have been to Africa. The epitomy of mission work.

Now, after spending 3 months in Africa, my thoughts have changed, as have my expectations. I think at first, I was disappointed in Africa, not because it wasn't awesome-it was, but because the expectations I had weren't being met. I wasn't experiencing the bells and whistles that I thought I would experience. I wasn't seeing people healed dramatically. I wasn't witnessing crazy things like casting out demons and all that stuff. Instead, I found I was living a life that was pretty ordinary, sometimes downright boring. In America, you hear alot of talk about how exciting it is to go to Africa and have the "bush experience". Well, living in the bush for the last 3 months I can say this...it is a once in a lifetime experience, that is for sure, one in which I think every person should experience at some point in their life, but the reality is that after 3 months in the bush your flesh wants to take over. You get tired of no electricity, having to carry water everyday, bucket showers, squatty potties, and ginormous cockroaches and rats that share what little space you have.

I think the biggest expectation that I have had to grieve is that before the Race, I thought I was totally in love with Africa. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Africa, it's just that I'm not IN LOVE with Africa. I say that because over the last 3 months the Lord has shown me that Africa isn't where He is calling me, and I always thought that it WAS.

Earlier I mentioned my expectation of "bells and whistles"-what I thought "bringing Kingdom" meant and looked like. And that isn't it at all. What have I learned instead? Bringing Kingdom here to Africa over the last 3 months had nothing to do with bells and whistles-it's sitting under a mango tree on grass mats on a hot day, praying for a woman who has spent her life searching after the Lord. Praying over a woman who comes before the Lord broken, having nothing else to rely on but HIM. It's sitting under the same tree, praying healing for her sick grandbabies who may have malaria and are malnourished. "Bringing Kingdom" is going on a prayer walk, not really knowing where God is going to lead you, and ending up in the home of a church member, sitting on their cement floor for 3 hours as you answer all the questions the husband has about the Lord, and then getting to see and witness him on his knees before God in his own living room, asking for repentance for the things that he had done.

"Bringing Kingdom" is walking the same path to the church that you walk everyday, and getting to see the joy on the kid's faces as they run up to you saying, "Mzungu! Mzungu! (white person in Swahili)" The same kids that were scared to death of us when we first arrived here in Tanzania now come up to us with such joy and laughter, and literally hang all over us! "Bringing Kingdom" is bringing the light of Jesus into a very dark place spiritually, not by words or deeds, but just because we have Christ IN US, and HIS LIGHT shines on everything we touch, everywhere we go. Just our presence has changed a community.

So, Africa has not been what I expected it would be. It may not be where God is calling me, but it WILL forever hold a very dear place in my heart. Here, God showed me what it really looks like to minister day in and day out. God has shown me a lot of life lessons in this place, and I won't forget them. Africa is beautiful. It's people are even more beautiful. God is here and He is working. I may be leaving Africa in 2 weeks, and it may not be where God wants me, but a piece of my heart will always remain in this place.

To My Supporters

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To all of my wonderful supporters:

I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for all that you have done for me in helping me go on The World Race. This trip would not have been possible without you supporting and praying for me! To date I only need to raise 405.50 to complete my support raising! If I raise more than that, I can use that money to get reimbursed for my travel insurance, shots, and my plane ticket I purchased to meet up with the rest of my squad last September. If the Lord leads you to make a donation to help complete my fund raising, you can click on the Support Me link to the left of this page! And to my Anonymous givers....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I don't know who you are, but God does, and I firmly believe He will richly reward and bless you for your generousity in advancing His Kingdom!

With much Love and gratitude,

Beverly Rhoades