Back to San Juan

Today we travelled back to San Juan and had to say goodbye to our Puerto Rican freinds. Needless to say, I cried. I love these people here so much and it is so hard to say goodbye, but Daimer reminded me that good bye means "God be with you." I am so thankful for the time that we had to spend together, but now we must part and go to different places to fulfill what God has planned for us. It's still sad for us to be leaving, but it makes it much sweeter knowing that it's for God to use us to share the good news and help build up leaders. God allowed me to experience a little piece of heaven while I was here and for that I am so blessed. I can only hope that we will be reunited again at some point. If not, I can still rejoice because I will get to spend eternity with there people in heaven. 

We are now back in San Juan to debrief before heading home on Sunday. We walked around old San Juan a bit this evening and then took a stroll on the beach where we saw a HUGE sea turtle! It was incredible. It was just chilling. We were guessing perhaps nesting? Anyway, I have the pictue below. Need to recoup from my meager 4 and a half hours of sleep last night. We stayed up until about 3:30 playing games. So little time so you gotta make some memories while you can. 

Bioluminescent Bay

Today was inceredible (I've been saying that everyday I'm sure). I got up to say goodbye to Danielle at 7 and she wasn't kidding about leaving at 7 becasue when I got up there at 7:03 she was gone. I was so upset and afraid that she would think that I didn't wake up to say goodbye, but by the grace of God she forgot her wallet and came back. IT was such a God moment. I even almost missed her the second time. I sprinted outside to say goodbye and I was teary eyed at the fact that she was leaving and because she for some reason had to come back. It was incredible. Then I worked out at ran my timed mile in the fastest time in a very long time which was also a God thing. I did not want to run it at all, but I just prayed the whole time and didn't even check my time between laps. I just praised God and kept my mind focused on Him and it was unreal how much quicker it went and how muc faster I ran it. That's what I need to do at school for my workouts. That's what audience of One is all about. I got to meet with Meredith today for discipleship which was great since I hadn't gotten to meet with her yet and it was again a divine appointment because I was able to give her advice from things that I had learned over this past year, which is my absolute favorite thing to do. 

Hands down my kingsighting for the day was sharing the gospel with a deaf woman. My group and I (okay mostly Macy because she knows spanish) had an entire conversation with her by writing back and forth. It was incredible to be able to converse with her despite the fact that we couldn't talk. It also just reminded me that God's plan and power is so big. He has the ability to make anything happen. The gospel is such a powerful thing. The evening was finished with yet another kingsighting as we swam in the bioluminescent bay. Basically this bay is filled with microorganisms that glow with movement so as you move in the water they glow, illuminating the water around you. It is hands down one of the most amazing things I have ever done. It's something that cannot be understood unless you experience it for yourself. The boat ride out there with thousands of stars overhead and the moon rising along the horizon followed by creatures that are so incredibly cool has God's signature all over it. No doubt He is the most amazing artist I have ever seen. There is no way that you can look up at the sky and not see His hand at work.

Tonight is our last night with our Puerto Rican friends so there's a solid chance that I won't be sleeping. Lots of caffeine for me!! 

Circumstances

I don't know what got into me, but I was so full of energy when I woke up this morning. I was so ready to take on the day and it started with a great cup of tea and a surprise breakfast for the interns (thanks Dee!). It was a huge realization for me today that this trip is rounding down. Tomorrow is our last day in San German before we head back to San Juan for a couple of days. We went sharing today at Colegio (University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez) which was so successful. Everyone was really engaged with people and I know that I personally had some great conversations. It was cool to see other girls take charge in initiating the conversations today and getting to just let them take the lead. i was just happy to see so many people on the campus since sharing yesterday was a little rough on this empty campus at Inter. After sharing on campus for a while, we went to a new beach for a few hours. This part of my day was definitely a test of patience for me because my van had to run an errand first and we couldn't find the right time to stop for food on the way to the beach, leaving us to eat at a restaurant on the beach. Little did we know that we would be waiting an hour and a half for our food, leaving us maybe 30 minutes on the beach. I was experiencing all kinds of emotions from disappointment to feeling like I was missing out to frustration. But ultimately I needed to trust that God had a different plan for my evening and I still got to experinece fellowship and beauty and fun even if I didn't notice it at the time. This has seemed to be a pattern for me for the past couple of days. Despite how hard it's been at times, God has truly been revealing to me that I need Him and that my emotions need to depend on Him and not on my circumstances. But then I got ice cream so everything was better (: Now I have to go because I'm playing games with all my friends. Who needs sleep!

My Testimony

It was a big day for me today. Looking back, I was resisting the day and resisting what God had planned for the day, stuck on my desires and blind to what He had in store for me. I started off the day wanting to lift, but the weight room was locked, so I had to do a different circuit instead. Then we had a devotional and quiet time which was great followed by an awesome interview with the olympic silver medalist in the 400 meter, but even then I wasn't super interested. After, we had a testimony workshop which was really helpful. I've already written my testimony, but it was nice to be able to condense it a little and focus it more. My testimony is at the bottom of the post (: We then went sharing on campus (which was deserted today) and I was so upset that I didn't share with anyone. However, I got a chance to share some burdens on my heart with Macy and Stacey which was a blessing that I didn't recognize at the time. Then we went to the beach and as we were driving it started raining. I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to the dorm and sleep instead of going to the beach. Well, we still went to the beach and it ended up being such a beautiful evening with joy and fun and I wasn't even thinking about my sleepiness. Then we were going to go to a buffet called Sizzle which I was not thrilled about, but once we got there it was such a blessing. I have been craving bread and butter like it is no one's business. There was just so much comfort food and American food that I really needed. The day wrapped up with a relationship talk by a strong, Godly couple. It is so encouraging to see what God can do when we simply trust Him. When I'm running after Jesus, everything will fall into place. There is no need to worry about the future becasue the future belongs to God. It is not mine to try to figure out. So now I just continue running with hope for the future in getting to see what He has planned. Overall, I missed out on seeing so much of God's blessings today because I was caught up in what I thought was best. It's encouraging though to see that regardless of my awareness, He continues to bless me abundantly. The day finished off with some much needed girl time and community. Couldn't get any better than this. 

My Testimony: 

When I was in fifth grade, my parents divorced and my father turned to alcohol more than he already had. In order to deal with my absent father who struggled to care for us at times, I tried to make everything else in my life perfect and orderly. But when something fell through, I saw that as a failure and I didn't know how to deal with it. I was constantly stressed to maintain this "perfection" in school, dance, relationships, etc. I grew up in the church and always believed in God, but I didn't know how to know him. I went to a church camp with my youth group after my freshman year of high school fully paid for because a girl had dropped out and already paid. This was a huge blessing because my mom couldn't afford to send me. It was there that I first understood God's grace, an undeserved gift of forgiveness and an act of true, sacrificial love. I realized that God loves me so much and that I am sinful and separated from Him. Jesus was the perfection I couldn't be and took on my sin and brokeness so that I can be cleansed of all the sin in my life. I now had this opportunity to know God and have eternal life with Him by accepting Him as my savior. Accepting Jesus doesn't mean that your life will be made easier. In fact, we are promised that we will have many hardships. I went through the toughest points of my life after I accepted Christ. My dad hit rock bottom, we lost our house to foreclosure, he left for California, and  I couldn't competitively dance because my mom couldn't afford it. But through all that God was right there with me giving me strength and peace that I had never had before. I didn't see things in a "woe is me" attitude, but rather in thankfulness and seeing the adversity as an opportunity for growth. God let me experience love that far surpasses love that my earthly father or anyone else on this Earth could give me. There is no longer reason to be perfect because God loves me so deeply and He sees me as His perfect daughter. I am made whole in my weaknesses. 

Evangelism Day One

First off, sorry my posts have been less frequent. I wrote my last one a couple days before I was able to post it because of the wifi. But now I'm back and am amazed at the work God is doing here. Today was the first day we went out sharing after a couple of days of evangelism training and free time.

Friday night was our closing banquet from the special which was a lot of fun. I had no idea this place was hidden in the city. There was a rooftop garden and a stunning view. Everyone was so full of joy and pretty much just happy the special was over, but also excited for all that they had learned from it.  

Saturday we visited old San German which is beautiful and filled with culture (Mom, you'd love this).  We went to the oldest chapel in the western hemisphere which was so cool. We heard all about the Spanish influence and how San German was a huge influence in the beginning of many other towns in Puerto Rico. I also experienced my first acai bowl which is amazing. Need to find somewhere in Columbus that sells them. The highlight of my Saturday night was no doubt the Puerto Rican minor league baseball game. Talk about craziness. I have never seen such a rowdy crowd. When we walked in it was hilarious because everyone's eyes just shot right to all us white people, whom they call "gringos" here, walking into the stands. Regardless, it was the most entertaining thing I've ever seen. Their playing was pretty terrible, but the fans were hilarious. 

Sunday was a busy, busy day. We started with church in the morning at the base of a mountain outside. The presence of God there never ceases to amaze me. My favorite part hands down is the worship. These people are just so in love with God and they sing songs in Spanish that we know, like Our God by Chris Tomlin, so we can all come together and sing one song to the same God in two different languages at the same time. It brought tears to my eyes. The rest of the day was spent in discipleship and training so I got a chance to meet with Stacey and Danielle. I love discipling because I just love hearing their hearts and their stories and being able to listen and support them in any way that I can. The growth that I have seen in them has been unbelieveable. They are both such beautiful women inside and out and I'm excited to keep meeting with them and encouraging them.

Today I started out with some dance technique and aerials in the morning. I have missed dancing so much. I'm sick of running. So that was certainly my little piece of heaven for the day. Then we had a devotional like we do everyday and we headed out to campuses to share. I went to Interamericana at Aguadilla and at first we were a little apprehensive. It's always like that when you go sharing, but once you start talking to someone it's so easy. Danielle and I talked to two girls today for an hour and a half and it was so rewarding. We started just chatting mostly and then we did Soularium with them which is basically just a tool to help break from general conversation to spiritual conversation. They were both so open and wanted to hear what we had to say and so we got to share the gospel with them. One girl was already saved, but I know it certainly helped clear some things up for her. The other girl accepted Christ what for me was one of the most amazing experiences. I've shared before but I've never actually seen someone accept Christ with me there. All I could think about was that it was such a victory for Heaven. There must have been so much rejoicing going on in Heaven at welcoming home another daughter. What's been so humbling while I've been here is realizing that this isn't about me. None of this is about me. This is about growing others and bringing others to know Jesus and that's something tha needs to stay close to my heart when I get back to Columbus. What better way to follow that up than with a few hours at the beach in the evening. We went to Crashboat Beach where I jumped off the pier and swam and fell asleep on the beach. It was the perfect way to end an incredible day. 

The more I come to know God while I'm here and the more I pursue Him, the more I can feel the enemy trying to get into my head and my heart. Things that shouldn't bother me suddenly are on my mind and eating away at me. So firstly, I would love prayers for Nicole and Rosa, the girls we shared with today that they would let all that we shared with them sink in and that they would be put in contact with people that can help them grow from here. Secondly, I would really appreciate prayers for the spiritual warfare that I've been experiencing; that God would eqiup me and that I would be filled with Truths to combat all the lies. 

I can't believe that my time here is going so quickly. I have a short 5 days left which is unbelieveable. We will be sharing every day for the rest of the week which I'm super excited about and then having some beach time in the evening for a couple hours. I've been pretty terrible about taking pictures so hopefully I get tagged in lots of pictures when we all get back!

The Special

PRetty much all that happened the past two days is the Special: 20 hours of intense physical activity. It sounds like not much has happened, but it's amazing all that happened inthose 20 hours. As an intern, it was my job to referee and help run all of the activities. Refing was no doubt the hardest part for me. It sucks having to make tough calls or make a call when you didn't really see what happened. It was cool though to apply the truth that I have confidence while refing. My favorite part though was getting to watch the students. I got a little teary eyed at times just watching them go from absolutely dead and on the verge of breaking down to just being toally renewed and a fire relit in their eyes. I just spent the whole time soaking it all in and seeing all the work that God was doing in all the people around me. I felt His presence so strongly. I was energized, peaceful, joyous, amazed. It felt like nothing much happened to me during the special, but I realized that God allowed me to just sit in His presence and soak it all in for 20 hours. What a gift! If every day could be like that I cannot begin to describe the happiness and peace I would feel. I have learned that I enjoy serving in little ways. I am not the one who wants to run the show and be a leader in that sense but I love being there for people when they need me, like streching Claire's leg when she was hurting or giving little words of encouragement when someone is struggling or simply helping get the sandwiches for dinner. I am slowly seeing maybe the big thing God wanted to show me was to rest in Him in the little things. Maybe something big can be small. Most of all, He continues to show me that He wants ALL of my heart ALL the time. Seeing the girls in my small group share last night at our celebration made me so proud of all of them. They listened to the Lord and made huge strides in two short days. I am so excited for all of them and I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses them while we are here for the next week. I cannot believe that my trip is already halfway over, but I have never been blessed so much with people, time, and love that surrounds me. I don't think that I have ever experienced a joy like I have now and I can't wait to bring that home with me to share with others. 

Prayer Requests: There has been a lot that people have been learning and experiencing the past couple of days and I would pray that people would have the time to digest all that has been put on their hearts and not brush it off. I also pray for the Puerto Rican students that we will be sharing with for the next week. I pray that God would prepare their hearts to hear the good news that we have for them.

Principles in Action

Today's the day. We have the opportunity to put all that we have been learning into practice. It is unreal how much we have been learning the past couple of days. Honestly, it's all blurring together. But overall, we've seen that we compete for the Lord and the Lord alone. We have seen truths about ourselves; for me I chose I have boldness and confidence. It spoke to me in a sense that I have this while I am leading, on the field, in practice, sharing my faith, everywhere and in every situation. The Holy Spirit enables me to be confident by drawing near to the Lord with a sincere heart and the assurance that our faith brings (Hebrews 10:22). I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous about the Special that begins in a little over two hours, but I am excited for the opportunity to serve the students and push them past their abilities to lean on the Lord to make it through. I know that I will certainly be leaning on Jesus just as much as they will be with 20 hours of physical activity and only 3 hours of sleep in there. 

Yesterday we learned two principles and one more today, followed by putting them into practice with sport. The coolest thing for me is seeing how God has changed my heart over the past year since learning these principles and getting to see others experience them for the first time. There are things I definitely still struggle with, such as my motivation level always being 100%, no matter the circumstance. This is something that I pray for help with tonight and tomorrow during the special. It's my job as an intern to not be tired and to be their motivation when they are falling. I have so much to learn, yet at the same time I am trying to take in so much. I know it probably won't all settle in until I get home, but I just want to be present and see all that is going on while I am here. I met with both girls I am discipling for the first time last night and I cannot wait to get to know them better and just be a resource for them while they're here, whether that's an answer to a question or simply a listening ear. God is so present in our group here and I know that tonight will be something special. 

Prayer Requests: Prayers for the students competing and that God would truly move in their hearts and that they would fully trust and rely on Him to make it through. I also would love prayer that there are no injuries or dehydration and that everyone would stay in good health.