A Week in Uruguay-

     It was the beginning of March when I received a message asking if I was interested in going to Uruguay at the end of April to help at a different sort of conference, but with many of the families that serve in South America with ABWE. I had been considering the possibility of going to the Philippines to help at a different conference in June, but God seemed to be making it clear that He did not want me there since everything seemed to be falling apart for that option. As that door seemed to close though, God opened a different one. When told about Uruguay, I first thought, "there is no way this is even a possibility".... it was going to be during one of the last weeks of the semester, I did not have the financial means, and it just seemed too complicated. I told them that I would love to go but that I did not think it was a very realistic option. They told me that they would get back to me, and we left it in God's hands...


    Only a few days later, all of the obstacles that seemed to be in my way began to disappear. God provided everything necessary for the trip including the permissions to leave school for a week, the finances needed, and all the other logistics! It was truly incredible to see God open up so many doors that seemed closed at first. So that being said, a month and a half later I was on my way to Uruguay with the couple that lead the MK ministries with ABWE.                


(We were welcomed at the house of the one ABWE family that serve in Uruguay with a wonderful asado [cookout])



The next day the missionary families arrived and we welcomed everyone with an evening gathering.

    


(Pictured above are many of the people that were there as we sang together in worship to God to start the week.)


My sister was also there as an invited guest to help with the younger kids while I worked with the teens and it was a blessing to be able to connect with her again. 


 (Below is a session where we combined both the younger kids and the teens while they were being encouraged in how to approach their experiences as MK's in a positive way. Understanding that there are good times and there are also hard times, but God uses it all in great ways.)



It was an incredible week that was so encouraging to me, even though I was there to serve the others. It helped remind me of how blessed I have been to be able to grow up in Chile and for how many great and unique opportunities I have been given because of it. I was able to have many good conversations with the teens as well and hear how God is working in their lives and how they are maturing and growing in their relationships with Him.


                        (We also had one day of the week where we spent a large part of the afternoon out in one of the nearby cities. This was so the families could enjoy a bit of the country while spending time with their families outside of their typical ministry contexts.)

   




     As the parents were able to talk about their ministries and strategize on how to better work as a team to serve Christ, the kids were able to enjoy connecting with each other while being encouraged to pursue Christ themselves. They were encouraged to learn how to see God working in their lives and to trust Him with all that they have. It was difficult for me to leave Uruguay as it had been such a great week that also felt a lot like home to me, but I was thankful for even one week there. I returned to school for the last week of classes and then finals which I managed to pass.

I pray that the teens left the week feeling encouraged and that they returned home with a refreshed desire to let God guide their lives and use all of their experiences.


-


Psalm 145:1-3

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Senior Year and Argentina!

Image
      Hello again! It is a little bit crazy to think that this semester marks my first as a senior at Liberty University since I am set to graduate in December. I hope to make the most out of this year, but I am also ready to be done with college for now (I have never been very good at school). That being said, halfway through my senior year I will have another incredible opportunity to both serve and learn a lot. God has been very gracious to bless me with so many opportunities these past few years, but this one will be a bit longer of a trip which is exciting!     I spent some time talking with my dad and looked at where I could spend my summer break learning from and serving a local pastor somewhere in South America. My dad told me about a pastor he knows who has worked with church planting for many years alongside his son in Argentina. Over a few emails, messages, and calls, God opened up the door for a trip to be set up for the summer.     Th...
Read more

A Chance to Help People Like Me

 Hey everyone, I want to tell you about some exciting opportunities I have, but first I would like to tell you a little about myself. I am a college student that is studying Christian Theology & Apologetics. I was born in Delaware, but I moved to the great country of Chile before I was even two years old. My parents moved there as Christian missionaries, and so from that point on, I became an MK (Missionary Kid). Chile is home to me and I would not want to have grown up in any other place. It has been an interesting journey so far with many amazing blessings and experiences, and many difficult moments and transitions.  My family is part of an organization called ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) and every four years they have regional conferences in the different areas of the world that they work in. These conferences are moments when missionaries get to connect with each other to be encouraged and to strategize while learning about what God is doing in o...
Read more

A brief summary of Peru and España

Image
Good afternoon! As many of you know, last semester I was given the opportunity to serve the children of missionaries at two different regional conferences with the missions organization ABWE. In my first post on this blog I discussed these opportunities and asked if you would be willing to pray for me and possibly support me financially if God were to place that on your heart. I praise God that He provided all the support needed to go and help at those conferences, and your prayers and support were a great part of what made that possible. Though the Bible lessons and connecting with the kids were our priority, we were also able to do many fun activities with them such as crafts and games. Below are two pictures of the kids doing some of these activities. Above are some of the kids working on a craft in Peru. Below are the kids doing a craft in Spain. Please continue praying for these kids and their families as they continue to serve the Lord in many different contexts.     Bel...
Read more