(Sorry again for a late blog post, and a late Happy Easter to you!! Jesus is risen and ALIVE and reigning on high – and that’s the reason we’re on this trip in the first place!)
If you read my blogs often enough, you’ll likely notice that I always comment some prayer requests. (That’s because prayer is hugely important, that’s a blog for another time!) Last week I asked for prayer for our time of ATL, or Ask The Lord. This is a fairly common principle/practice on the World Race which entails having a completely open schedule for a set amount of time – could be an afternoon, could be a month – and, as the name implies, asking the Lord where to go and what to do. Or as the leadership over our squad described it, ATL is the Lord being your ministry host and having things for you, and you asking Him and seeking Him about it. It’s making ourselves extra available to a) see what He’s doing and b) join in it wherever He asks.
At the end of our Guatemala debrief, we were moved around into new teams and roles and given five days for ATL. Five days where we needed to ask God where to go (including finding where to stay, which was in all honesty a very nerve wracking thing for me!) and what to do – how and who to minister to. So last Thursday, our new team (me, Alexa, Tanner, Noah, and Patricia) got together for lunch and brought ideas of whatever we felt the Lord had given us for ATL. A couple of team members felt strongly that the Lord was leading us to Guatemala City – so we took a step of faith and started contacting people we had met here about any options for housing and transportation. It seemed that the Lord was indeed leading us in this direction, because in just over a day – within 30 hours – we had housing for the duration of ATL and transportation to the city secured, all within budget! And it wasn’t just bare minimums either – God has been providing above and beyond our expectations. This was such an amazing, faith-building start to ATL!
We’re still in the midst of ATL, but here are a few highlights so far:
- having space to rest, pray, seek the Lord and worship as a team
- making time to intercede for Eswatini and all that comes next
- getting to go to a house church meeting and a house of prayer meeting on Easter Sunday
- meeting a family at the house of prayer meeting, and the Lord opening doors to getting to spend more time with them and minister to them!
This week we finish ATL – and our time in Guatemala altogether – and travel to Eswatini! Though it will be hard to leave this special place that’s been home for two months, I’m also excited to see what God has in store next, especially as we continue to get to see His goodness and faithfulness through ATL and hearing His voice more and more. ❤️ And I encourage you to set aside some time and try praying and “asking the Lord” about how to spend it – you may be surprised where and how He leads!
Prayer Requests!
– for continued clarity, direction and bonding as a team as ATL ends
– for safe and smooth travels to Eswatini! Our “travel day” is actually about 4 days long with 3 different flights and a bus ride involved – so pray for trust in the Lord that He will bring us and our gear safely to each step we need to be at, clarity of mind, and sufficient energy to make it through!
– that even as we grieve leaving Guatemala, our hearts and minds would be open to what’s ahead in Eswatini – that the Lord would give us excitement and peace about the newness and change ahead and give us more of His heart for the people we will meet and minister to! ❤️
That sounds terrifying but honestly that is how we should lead our lives daily. True dependence on the Lord. I am always challenged and inspired by your blogs. Praying relentlessly for your safe travels and open hearts for the Lord.
It’s terrifying until it isn’t – if that makes sense! It definitely opens your eyes to how much the Lord truly does for us and especially when we’re fully dependent on Him. Thank you for your kind words and prayers dear friend ❤️
I’m glad your first experience with ATL has been fruitful so far! It definitely is a faith booster! I love seeing how God puts people in our paths to help us, to be ministered to, to connect with. Sometimes it seems so uncanny, so random, so unexpected, yet when we look back we begin to see His purposes in it. Won’t it be so fun when we fully enter God’s kingdom to find out and understand the purpose behind those encounters?
Dear God, please continue to grow this team in love and acceptance of one another. Help them see each other the way you see them. Help them in their ministry in eSwatini. Bless their time at the Khomala compound and help this squad be a blessing to them. Provide abundantly for our squad, the Khomalas and the care points! In Jesus’ name. Amen