Domestic Ministry and Debrief

Hi friends!

Welcome back to my blog. I figured I could share about my time in domestic ministry as well as this past week of Debrief. We left for domestic ministry last Sunday and stayed till Friday. We stayed with Adventures Relief in Black Mountain, North Carolina. While we were driving up there, I was so excited because Black Mountain is where Montreat is and that is like another home for me. We arrived went straight to downtown Black Mountain. I thought I was going to be so excited, but I just burst into tears. I was so sad that my IPC youth family was not with me. Times like these make me realize how blessed I am to have had such a supportive church family these past few years. I got to sleep in a bunk bed and it was amazing. This bunk bed felt like luxury to me, since I had been sleeping in a tent for the last three weeks. The following morning, I had real coffee creamer and it was delicious. I started to take in how much I took things for granted in the past. We got introduced to our construction team leaders for the week, and got started. My team and I were at 3 different houses throughout the week. We did lots of putting insulation under the houses and also doing some insulation in the house. I have never worked with insulation before, and it was a struggle for real. It was crazy to see how the hurricane affected these people’s homes. We would usually get done in the afternoons, and then come back to base to clean up and hang out. I would honestly say those were some of the best showers I took because of how dirty I felt. Going into dinner and the rest of the night was just filled with fellowship. I really enjoyed getting to know my squad and D-squad more. I played lots of card games, and ate very yummy chocolate ice cream(thanks to Ellen’s dad). My team and got coffee a few times and it always hit the spot. Overall the week was a great start to ministry, and got me so excited for what’s to come.              

We drove back to Georgia on Friday, and began our first debrief this past week. Our coaches: Brian and Brandi came to our debrief to see us together before we leave. Brian and Brandi are literally the best and I’m so glad to have them as my coaches. They will come on the field twice for debriefs. My team had Debrief the first day, and it was important, but also challenging. All of us voiced how we felt the week went for the first time, and it was a little rocky.  My team was definitlely struggling a bit with unity and communication. Our team has so many different strengths,and it has taken us time to figure out what works with each person. However, over time I am very confident that we will get stronger. That is something that I will have to trust God with. We had lots of freedom this past week, so a few girls and I would go to this amazing coffee shop called Farmhouse. They had the best iced caramel lattes! ☕️ Sometimes I would go in there and only see people from my squad or D-squad. We were regulars there for sure. I got closer with a lot of the people on my team, which is something that I am extremely thankful for. On Thursday night we had our last worship night and commissioning. It was a very emotional night for me, happy tears though because of how proud of myself I am. We got commissioned as a squad and that was a moment that I will remember forever. It was so special to see so many of us getting ready to serve the Lord together.                                     

Today is Saturday, and I am currently on a plane headed to Houston, Texas. From there we will go to Medellin, Columbia. I am just so excited for what’s to come.

Thank you all so much for continuing to support me on this journey, I could not have gotten to where I am without you.

Some prayer requests:

• my team and my squad
• D-Squad as they travel to Eswatini
• Our hosts in Columbia
• The people we minister to
• Safety for everyone