If you want to know exactly what kind of work I did this year here it is. This year was truly a taste of every different type of volunteer work and ministry possible! From handing out tracts ( not my favorite!), to preaching, to painting and manual labor, to marriage counseling, to holding a dying woman's hand. Here I list each country we went to and what we did there, all said in a few words.
1. Chiapas, Mexico. Teaching in a local church. These people did A LOT of church!
2. Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. Lived at orphanage, doing children and youth discipleship ( this included throwing a lot of birthday parties and teaching sewing classes)
3. Ho Chi Minh, Viet nam. College outreach, orphan, and elderly ministry. (This is the month we lived above a place very similar to a brothel, so we went out during the day doing college ministry and at night we got to know the girls who worked at the hotel and prayed.)
4. Rubbish Mountain, Cambodia. Slum ministry. One of my favorite months. Loving on the poorest of poor who literally live and work in trash. We did preaching, teaching, washing lice invested hair, and throwing a life changing revival in which we saw many many super naturally healed through prayer and come to the Lord.
5. Pattaya, Thailand. Bar Ministry, Teaching English. We we went to the bars at night to build relationship with prostitutes and the thousands of men there, and by day we taught the girls english and helped transition them out of the bars.
6. London, England. Outreach to minority groups. this included going door to door and handing out tracts on the streets. This was very uncomfortable for many of us, but God definitely worked and used it!
7. Mozambique. Church discipleship and empowerment. A 45 minute walk every day in the middle of African bush to a church of sticks. We were told to go every day and by the end of 3 weeks they should know the gospel, how to share their story and evangelize. On my first day they didnt know what a Bible was, and by the end they had real intimate relationships with the Lord!
8. Lilongwe, Malawi. Teaching, Preaching, and Testimonies for villages, women and children. Going out everyday preaching for hours and hours and hours and hours! People came to the Lord every every day!
9. Nsoko, Swaziland. AIDS, Orphans, and women ministry. Loving on the oppressed and forgotten. We did an unforgettble womens retreat that set so many of us FREE, and ensured the 8 care points (that feed 800 orphans a day) were functioning as well as possible. We distributed about 1000 pairs of shoes to the locals, mostly children, after washing their feet and praying for them, one by one.
10. Ville Tecii, Romania. Gypsy Outreach. Living in a village of gypsies, who are sterotyped as theives and liars, but proved to be loving, genuine, amazing people, filled with RICH culture. One of my most memorable moments of the race was being baptized on someones front porch in a bath tub with gypsies, by gypsies....all to the tune of accordian and violin music!
11. Lugansk, Ukraine. Teaching English classes and Orphanage work. We built strong friendships with people our age who wanted to learn English and threw many coffee parties for them in our little teeny tiny apartment.
Of course so much more happened than I could EVER describe. If you are more of a visual person enjoy the video's below that team mate Lindsay Stahl made!
It is true. This 11 months of wonderful madness has ended... but not really. It has been less than a week and I feel like it is truly just the beginning.
I was talking to my step-sister Tracy on the phone a few days after my return and she told me her sons Jackson and Eric and their youth group in Oak City, NC has followed me this whole year reading every blog (to which I was completely unaware....ATTN current Racers on the field - this is a reminder, you never know who is reading so keep the blogging up!) She told me as he watched my last video posted he looked up at her and said, "It's over! Now what am I going to do?"
I remember leaving for The World Race last June, and I spent many weeks (truthfully maybe months) grieving my life. Because I knew it was over. I cried and mourned for what I knew, and what would never be again. I knew I had signed up with an organization that was taking the Bible literally. I was going to have to die to myself..... and see my beautiful Jesus RISE! And boy did He ever!
As the Race was nearing the last month I kept expecting for those same emotions of grief to rise, and they never did. I left my 31 squad mates at the airport... and I was not morning. And I am not grieving. (Of course I was sad to say goodbye, but I know I will see them again, I know we have a connection for life!) Not only did I truly get "born again" into a new and free life but so did my 31 squad mates, and hundreds of others through us!!! This has been BIRTH, new life, freedom! Praise God! YEAH!
Yet, There have been moments this past week of return where I catch myself thinking, "Well, now what?!?" Just like Jackson thought, "Well now what am I going to do?" Like my step-dad Bob says, life is about choices...
So now, I am going to choose to do everything and anything the Lord leads, everyday for the rest of my life. He will continue to open and close doors, ask me to choose in, rise up,speak life, press in, and die to self. He will always ask for more, and it is beautiful. My Jesus is beautiful and so will be my life for Him. What an honor and joy it is to return. This is not so much a "re-entry" as it is just the next country on the World Race. I have spent many of the past months frustrated about the difficult language barriers, and HOORAY now I am in the next country on the list, the US of A and can tell all the amazing miracles the Lord did to me, in me, and through me!! Just think.... if He did this much in 11 months, how much more will He do for all the years to come!
Thank you to all of you for following my journey. You will never know what your comment or e-mail meant to me as I read them in the heat of the battle. Your words of encouragement were like a drink of cool water! Thank you and keep reading, because I am going to keep blogging!
The World Race is a mission trip of sorts but one of the most difficult and yet most rewarding aspects of the adventure is community living. It has been 11 months, and talented Katie Rowland has made a video of our squads thoughts on the wonders of community living. If you would like to try it out, join The World Race! If you want to hear more about how we did it, and my experiences, please contact me!
After this conversation I had a lot to think about and pray about. This blog is an excerpt from my journal that I wrote in church last Sunday. I post this journal entry to be honest and vulnerable with what God is teaching me. I hope it helps someone or speaks to someone who may be going through something similar.
"Psalm 62:1 "My soul finds rest in God alone..." I am not at rest and when I am resting, it is not in You, Jesus. This Scripture says that my soul is to find rest in you alone. "....my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation. In him, I will never be shaken."
My Salvation is most definitely from you. You are my rock and my salvation, you are my fortress, I will never be shaken. But I feel shaken Lord. I feel shaken. Is this my fault? Am I choosing to be shaken, instead of running to you for refuge? I am certainly making it all about me and fitting you in. Of course I feel shaken. I am not making my life about you. Help me to change this. Speak to me. You know what I need. You ALONE know what I need. I repent, Lord. Forgive me. God you will resurrect me, and bring dead things in me to life...the fruit of the Spirit. You want me to trust you."
I stopped writing as I heard fellow Racer, Daniel Strosky giving the message for church and he was describing the Israelites and their faith. Dan spoke of when the Israelites faced a challenge they were quick to stop trusting God. They would want to go back to Egypt, away from God and back into their slavery. (Rather than trust the Lord in His provision, protection, and love.)
I continued to write in my journal, "I don't want to go back to Egypt, Lord. I don't want death or to be destroyed. I want to obey and live in you. "
I am amazed at how easily I forget so much of what I have learned. It will take effort to apply the lessons God has taught me this year. Like, who I am in Him. It is a daily choice to Walk with Him and to be in His presence, and what a privledge it is!
Please pray for me through this. I have one week left of the World Race and then back to Colorado. Pray for preparation for me in my homecoming as well as ending here well and strong!
I want to share one of my latest conversations with God. I was inspired by an excellent book, "Walking With God" by John Eldredge, to ask 2 questions. In the book he asks God "How Am I Doing?" I really wasn't sure what God was going to say but I do know that I was not doing super great. The enemy has been at work this past month trying to steal my joy on a daily basis. I have been waking up feeling exhaustion, irritation, dread, anger. I have been feeling tired. Most of this is Satan at work trying to bring us down. Each of the girls I am living with have been afflicted with the same things. He knows we are working hard to finish the Race strong and He does not like it.
As wonderful as The World Race is and as much as I love my new family, the end of it is nearing, and it has been HARD to finish STRONG. All this to say, I quieted myself and my thoughts to talk to the Lord and I asked Him,
1. How doIthink I am doing?
2. How do you think I am doing?
He answered;
1. Try Harder
2. Enough
I asked, "Lord reveal a deeper meaning to the answers you have graciously given to me."
He answered, "You are hard on yourself and striving and trying to do something better than what I have given you, like please people. Try try try. Do do do. There is not enough trust in the Lord. Not enough REST. You are pressing yourself to try harder and have not yet found the balance of self sufficiency in Christ. You feel like you are drowning. You think you are treading water and if you stop for a second, you are going down. You'll go under. "
I had no idea this is where I was at. I was surprised and astonished. I know better than this. I have been learning it all year long. But I need to know the 2nd part too.
"And God what did you say? You said , "Enough" in regards to my second question. What does it mean?"
He told me, "I am Enough for you. I always have been and always will be. Enough of you try try trying. Enough. Rest in Me, Let me do the work . You will not drown or go under. The harder you go treading water, the less you trust me. Stand up on your feet. Walk by Faith and not by sight. Remain and Abide. Alison, you are enough. You are Enough. I want you to believe in your heart as well as your head that I am more than Enough for you."
So I have been trying to do just that. Rest in the Lord.
Tara, Krystle, and I have been meeting with a group of gypsy women in the evenings for Bible Study, encouragement, and praying....whatever the Spirit leads. Yesterday Tara led the class and spoke on a simplistic matter that marks this year of my life.
She had a glass of water and said it represented Jesus. She held up another cup for us to see saying it represented us. She said when you make a commitment to follow and believe Jesus you add your life to His. With that, she poured the cup into the water. It was oil. Obviously the oil plunged into the cup of water and immediately rose to the top where it stayed.... and didn't change. Tara explained that many Christians live separated from Jesus after we tell Him we will live for Him. But then we don't change, and we make no effort past going to church and lifting up a prayer once in a while. She had another example after this one.
She held up a glass of water, again representing Jesus and held up another cup representing us (the believer). This time it was red food coloring. As she poured the coloring into the water it immediately mixed, they were one.
If we are in Jesus we should be One with Him, changed forever, and in constant communication with Him. Not only that but it should be the desire of our hearts because we love Him more than life, more than anything, more than ourselves. A three minute prayer before bed just will not cut it, because He should be on our mind all the time, our first love. Much like falling in love, you think of that person all the time and think of ways to meet with them, talk to them, honor them. That is where Jesus wants us to be.
This lesson Tara taught resonated with me. I am getting baptized this Sunday (Easter is celebrated on the 19th here) with a group of gypsy men and women. I have lived most of my life separate from Jesus, (like the oil) even though I had "committed" it to Him. Where was the proof? I have tried with my own strength to become One with Him, and inevitably failed miserably. This past 10 months on the World Race, God has challenged me to surrender; my home, my family, my money, my comforts, relationships, my hobbies, my pride, my selfishness, my insecurities, my fears....the list goes on. Some of these things are great, and some are sin. The point is He wants it all, no exceptions. Good, bad, ugly, pretty it all belongs to Him. I have never made the decision to be baptized, I guess I always thought my infant baptism had me covered and the alter calls were good enough. But scripture convicted me. "Whoever believes and is baptized, will be saved..." Mark 16:16
This is a way to honor God and mark the year of my crucifixion and the Holy Spirit's resurrection. Praise God, the Lord, the Giver of Life!
God has spoken very clearly on this to me in my life through the following scriptures, I hope it speaks to you as well.....
Romans 6:3-14
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, [a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin- 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
A few observations from living in Viile Tecii (pronounced Villa Techy), a gypsy village.....
1. Gypsies play accordians and violin in church. They love music!
2. Some Easter traditions - Gypsie men spray perfume all over the women on Easter. (I had a surprise attack by 3 men in front of an entire church), they force feed you a variety of Easter treats, and they celebrate Easter twice (one is traditonal and one is Orthadox).....Side note I am getting baptized this Orthodox Easter Sunday!
3. Gypsie woman kiss you once on each cheek if they like you and twice on the lips if they love you...you never know what your gonna get!
4. The sheep here have long thick tails like cats.
4. Married gypsy woman must cover their heads with scarves for church and formal events which signify submission to their husband.
5. Gypsies still use carts pulled by horses to get around.
6.Gypsies are looked upon as a sub-culture, dirty and dishonest...outcast! This is far from the truth!
7. The land here has the richest soil. Many gypsies make their living farming. (cabbage, potatoes, apples, plums, cherries, grapes, corn....) It took us 3 days to hoe this land which belongs to an elderly woman.
8. After only 20 years of freedom the communist mentality is slow to change, but with the power of God there is much break through!
9. This is the hardest working culture I have seen in the last 10 months. Below they are scrubbing rugs on the river bank.
10. Gypsy Bunika Grannies are sweet and enjoy sitting outside their house observing all that goes by.
See what transpires when 25 July '08 F-Squad World Racers get a whole Romanian bus all to themselves (highly unusual, compared to our pat travel days) for an 8-hour busride through the beautiful Romanian countryside. Featuring the famous original Romanian song known as Numa Numa.
Natalie Montgomary and I have written (and made video's) a 3 part series on Captivity and on 3 women we met in Swaziland. Click the links to read and watch Part 1 and Part 2 on Natalie's blog.
Story of Hope
A young woman 18 years old, has living by herself since she was 10. Zodwa had a mother and a father and lost them both 8 years ago to HIV. Zodwa remembers nothing about HIV from their deaths, or maybe she is too ashamed to talk about it. She recalls coming home from school and her neighbors saying her mother had died earlier that day, and no one knew why.
Shame literally crushes the frame of this young girl, who sits with her shoulders hunched as if to hide any emotion stuck deep with in her, making eye contact is a challenge for her. She is confined to a one room cement block home which reminds me of a prison cell. "House on Fire" is painted carelessly in red letters on the wall by her bed. I asked her the meaning behind the strange phrase, Zodwa went on to describe the pain and meaninglessness she feels about her life. How lonely it must be to have spent 8 years of your adolescence alone. Her mother's grave is less than 10 feet away from her door step as a constant reminder.
At age 14 she began to sell her body in exchange for money and food. To her, this was the only option. In Swaziland, you must have a uniform and shoes to attend school, in addition to the tuition. So when her parents died, there was obviously no way to pay for school. Zodwa has only completed grade 4 and therefore cannot obtain a job...other than prostitution. This way of living is not looked down upon in their culture, it is accepted by the majority. I believe my new friend must have conviction about her way of life but justifies it because of her struggle to survive. It is her way of life.
Two of us (Ali and Amy) had the opportunity of staying at Zodwa's house for one night. We spoke to her of Christ's love and encouraged her to meet with Him. As I was struggling to fall asleep that night on her floor, (listening to mice and bats screeching), I thanked God for the works He has yet to do in her life. She told us that she spends most of her time sitting in her house doing nothing accept sleeping. I asked if she could spend some time talking to the Lord and listening for Him. She said yes, but I don't know how she can do this without a mentor. Upon my goodbye to Zodwa, I left her with enough food for a few months, and some new clothes to add to her 1 dress and 2 tee shirts. As I was hugging her goodbye I looked down at her bare feet and felt compelled to kick off my worn out flip flops to leave with her. I know I also left her with some hope and truth of Jesus.
I asked Zodwa what her dream was for the future. She stared at me with a blank look for several minutes. Finally she said, "I cannot read or write. I am alone here. I have no dreams." This young woman may have no dreams, but God has plans for her that are beyond imagination and that plan includes me and you. Pray, pray, pray for Zodwa and her future romance with Jesus.
(At the end of the clip Zodwa takes us to her mothers grave)
1. Gypsies play accordians and violin in church. They love music! 
husband.
grapes, corn....) It took us 3 days to hoe this land which belongs to an elderly woman.
