I have officially been back in America for a little over 2 weeks and I have been at home in Kansas for nearly 1 week. The transition hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would, but there have definitely been things that make it tough. I miss my squad, A LOT! I miss having community and intimacy. I really miss having ministry opportunities show up left and right, usually without even having to try! I also now have a lot of time to myself, which was incredibly rare for this past year! I kind of don’t know how to handle so much free time alone!
So now, I have began the hard season of looking three different directions. I must now process the past without letting it overtake me with sorrow, look towards the future and plan without allowing it to smother me with anxiety, and have my feet and mind planted firmly in the present, so that I do not miss what is happening all around me. It is from that position and mindset that I release the two final recaps of the year!
Mid-September, we landed in Kyrgyzstan. Truth be told, I did not see much of the city of Bishkek that first day, because as soon as we landed and got to the house we would be staying at for the month at around 8 a.m., I passed out until late afternoon.
That was honestly a rough transition, because some of us, after a long travel day followed by a half-Sabbath, ended up moving our stuff once more to a hotel. Our introduction to this new country was not a particularly relaxing one. We then met up with our coaches and mentors and prepared for what was to come the next day: Parent Vision Trip!
Several of the Racers, myself included, had parents flying over to Kyrgyzstan to meet up with us after 8 months and get a feel for what it is we do on the Race. They arrived very early, gave us hugs and then went to breakfast. They had a pretty tough transition, but they handled it like professional Racers!
Over the course of that week, our parents:
- Participated in a scavenger hunt that introduced us to the city
- Were able to meet the organization that we would be partnering with for the month (Cru!)
- Worshiped with us
- Had lessons and devos
- Experienced ATL at a crowded bazaar
- Taught at a university
- Ate some of the local cuisine
- Felt God’s presence and the guiding of the Spirit in potentially new ways
They basically experienced in a rapid, crash-course week what we had gotten to do for a whole year.
Man, PVT was an amazing time! I had been missing my parents, so to see them and let them see the growth that God had done in my life was an incredible opportunity. There was never a dull moment and I do honestly believe that it deepened our relationship and took it in a slightly new direction!
One story from that week is when we had free time. We had just finished teaching at a university and had a couple hours before supper, so I figured I would teach my parents how to do a listening prayer. I simply instructed them to pray, asking God for direction on what we should do, and then listen in silence for His answer! My dad opened it and my mother closed it. I asked them what they heard. My dad said, “Flowers and flags.” I remembered a park that the scavenger hunt had taken us to, that my dad had been unable to see, and I told him that I knew of the place. I showed him a quick picture and he said that is exactly what he had pictured. We left the room and arrived to the park after a quick walk. Once we entered, my dad stopped in awe. The park has multiple, beautiful flower plots surrounded by a well-maintained walking path. At the end is a massive flagpole. Across the street from the park stands the mayor’s house, an impressive building. Beyond the mayor’s house, poking out of the foggy distance, stood a mountain range. My dad’s jaw dropped slightly, and he told us that all of this was what God had shown him. In fact, what he didn’t tell us until we got there, was that he had seen a picture or vision of Bob Ross painting this entire scene, including the mountains and the building. The Spirit had led us to this particular spot. We then prayer-walked around the park, making sure to pray for fertile ground and for God’s will over that place to be done!
After a wonderful, but tiring week with our parents, they returned to America and we began a week of debrief. It was by far the most relaxing, rewarding, and meaningful debrief of the year. We even got a chance to worship with a missionary team, spent a day touring a school in a nearby village, and played sports and games with kids at a youth center! So many memories came from that one week!
We then said goodbye to our coaches and truly began our month of ministry. We split into two teams. I was on a rather large team with 11 people, Team Thang! We stayed in Bishkek, while the other team traveled to a village several hours away. Our large team was further split into two teams: the Young Professionals and The English Club. I was with the second team.
Most of what we did that month was teaching English at universities and hosting English talking clubs at the language center. Though we couldn’t mention our faith, the Gospel, or Jesus at any of the official government buildings, all of this was done in order to establish relationships with the kids who we met! We made so many genuine friendships that month. We even got to have a karaoke night at the language center, which led to us being able to meet even more kids, take them out to dinner, and share our testimonies. Because of this, one young adult even came to Christ! In fact, over the course of the month, three people began believing in Jesus! We also were able to start a Bible Study at our house, which will be continued by every other team, Racers and others, who come through Bishkek!
One of my favorite memories of this month was when we got invited to a birthday party. I had become really good friends with two girls at the talking club. One night, they even took me to a Shawarma place! On the night of their birthday party, they gave us directions to a pub. We got there and it turned out to be an authentic Irish pub! We were shocked and Travis even told me it felt like he was back home in a Philadelphia pub. Before the band, which was a rock-jazz band, came on, we started talking to the two girls, as well as the husband of one of them. I was speaking to the husband, while Travis spoke to the girls. Almost at the exact same time, during completely separate conversations, we started talking about our testimonies and introduced them to the Gospel! They were all very receptive.
All in all, Kyrgyzstan was an amazing month of ministry. I was able to see a type of ministry that is not sneaky or subversive, but that is altogether compassionate, genuine, and caring. We met a real need (native English speakers who could communicate effectively in English, thus teaching kids how to speak better) and at the same time shared the overwhelming love of Christ.
At the end of the month, we had what is known as a “burn week”, which is essentially just a set time dedicated completely to worshiping God. For 72 hours, we had one hour prayer slots divided among us, where we would go to a prayer yurt, in which we were directed to minister to God, not asking for what He could give us or do for us, but simply praising His name and glorifying Him in prayer. The rest of the time was spent in worshiping in different ways with short devotions given throughout the day or free time to keep pursuing God or spend time with the squad. I had never done anything like that before, but I loved every moment of it! In fact, I was rebaptized on the final day in the lake next to our yurts!
Most of what we did in Kyrgyzstan involved a very normal “job” because we would keep going to different schools and classes. Elizabeth, Meg, and I even got to give an hour-long seminar about “Steps to Learning English”, which we had Googled thirty minutes before! Because of that, the question I would like to leave you with is:
“What is the job, routine, or habit that you can start using today to meet new people and share the Good News of Jesus Christ?”
However mundane or unspiritual it may seem, God can still use it to both build and enrich His kingdom. Never underestimate where He has placed you!
1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
