Since getting back from overseas 5 months ago, I have had a strong pull to take a trip alone. The length of the trip and destination did not matter. The only thing on my mind was to get alone with the Lord somewhere.
This scared me. I have traveled all over the world but rarely went places completely alone. I was intimidated and nervous, and that was exactly what made me purchase that plane ticket to the Pacific Northwest.
I never could have imagined how life-giving this time with the Lord would be, and how many people I would meet along the way. I want to share a little story that impacted me in a big way.
It was day 8 of my solo road trip. I was in my 6th state at Sawtooth National Park in Idaho and I was doing my pre-hike stretches at the trailhead, shaking out the aching muscles from the previous days trek (combined with a very short nights sleep in the car). I soon struck up a conversation with a middle-aged woman in the parking lot. She had mountain bikes on the roof of her Jeep, trail running shoes on, and a gnarly personality. I was intrigued.
We hiked several hours together, talking and swapping stories the whole way. We had similar interests in the most obscure categories and picked one another’s brains on favorite podcasts, books, places, and cultures. She shared with me about some really tough family things that she had been struggling with in past years and how it had taken a toll on her.
We soon reached our destination and sat down on a log for a quick snack and to admire the Mountains and the breathtaking lake. As my new friend got up to leave for her trail-run back to the trailhead, I strongly felt like I needed to pray for her. She agreed to sit back down and I lifted up some of the things that were weighing on her and asked for healing for a few areas in her life. It was nothing elaborate, but a simple prayer.
It was not until I said “amen” and stood to give her a hug goodbye, that I began to realize the impact. Tears rolled down her face as she struggled to get out a “thank you.” Moments later she was gone and I was left sitting there amazed after such an impactful encounter with the Holy Spirit. 
I don’t know the impact, great or small, that this had. But what I do know is that this was a special reminder to me. All it takes is a willingness to listen and be bold, and God can handle the rest. Living missionally can seem like such a hefty task, but loving people and listening to the Holy Spirit when he speaks, that is something I can handle. Be bold and ask the Lord to open up conversations for you to speak into, and peoples lives can change because of it. I encourage you to step up to the plate and see what happens.
I am roughly 140 days away from moving to Thailand. Finding our hostel location and ministry site, Thai language school, visa’s, and all the other details are slowly coming together. We have had some big doors open with our financial visa options, and other doors slam shut with hostel locations. Our team is staying positive through the ups and downs, and we are learning to hold loosely to plans and stay flexible. God has a vision, and it is way bigger than what I can see.
I have 80% of my monthly financial goal accounted for. This is so HUGE and the Lord continually confirms that this is where He wants me! Thank you so so much to everyone that has been praying and giving toward this endeavor. It is such a blessing to have so many people partner with me and join me in what the Lord is doing.
This next week our whole team of 10 (or 13 if you want to count babies born and in the womb) will all be together for the first time! We will be doing 3 weeks of team building, culture training, and even language learning here in Georgia. Please keep my team and I in your prayers as this whole endeavour starts to become real and fundraising deadlines approach.
One day at a time
