Friends and family,
Sorry I have been very MIA lately; it has been quite the last couple of months. I finished up in eastern Europe with helping the refugees from Ukraine in Romania, to moving to the opposite side of the hemisphere and learning about a new culture and a new ministry. As well as getting a brand-new team and becoming one of the team leaders of our squad. A lot has changed, more then I can write. Luckily, I only have a little over a month left of the race!! You read that correctly! A month!!! So, when I get home, be sure to reach out and we can grab a coffee and I can give you the long-updated answer if you would like…. after I catch up on some sleep of course! Don’t be surprised if you do not here from me the first couple of weeks I get back. The Lord and I have a lot of reflecting to do!
But for now, here are some quick updates, this past month I was in Heidelberg, South Africa. It has been one of the best months this year. The ministry we were with poured into us and taught us so much. Our hosts, Auntie Tanya, and Uncle Phil have been some of my favorite people. They truly felt like parents away from home. With being on the race and having ministry every day, it has been hard not having someone disciple us and pray over us. However, this month was so different, we constantly had people coming up to my team and encouraging and loving on us. There was even a day where the Christian college students we were with prayed and prophesied over each of us. This was one of those cool moments I had been praying for. These students were praying over us things that we had been struggling with without even knowing or talking to us before. Word for word, things we have been going through. When each of us got our turn to be prayed for in the middle, we all just broke down crying. I had never felt so known by the Lord in my life. Then when we were praying over my friend, I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit like never before. Again, grab me for coffee sometime and I’ll share all the details if you would like! Let’s just say it was a really cool moment that I will never forget.
So, you could say the Lord really blessed my team this month. Our hosts took us on a couple road trips where we could see more of the country and while doing this, they shared with us about there lives and what the Lord is doing in them. They also listened to our stories and testimonies. They really showed us what “life is ministry, and ministry is life” is all about. Enjoying the blessings, the Lord has given us along with keeping him at the center of our conversations and sharing his love to those we meet within our journeys. This gave me a good idea on what I want my life to continue to look like when I get back from the race.
However, on other newsssss, I did get to do something super cool last month with my new team. Something I never expected ever doing in my life. I got to go SHARK CAGE DIVING with GREAT WHITES! It was the best day I have had on the race. It was pretty thrilling, we ended up seeing 7 Great Whites, along with tons of dolphins and some seals! The moment I jumped into the cage I had realized what I had just done. I could not believe it, if you know me then you know I have a huge fear of drowning, and being thrown into a cage and getting closed in from the top. Well, it just freaked me out and then to go under and see a Great White less then a foot from me, really gave me some adrenaline. The experience really showed me to stop being so afraid of the world, as well as enjoying all the crazy creatures God has created for us. It was so much fun to experience it with my friends. So, now if you see a shark tattoo on me…. well, you know why 😉 LOL Sorry mom!!
Fast forward to where I am now. Another pretty big update is that I am currently quarantining in Nelspruit, South Africa. After 2 years of being in a pandemic and 10 months of traveling, my body finally decided it was time to get COVID. The funny thing is, I was the only one that was tested positive on my squad! How did that happen? No idea, I think maybe the Lord knew I needed a break from my squad before heading into our last month! So, the rest of my squad left to head on to the last country which is Eswatini, AKA Swaziland. And I stayed back at the hostile we were at for our debrief. I will be here for a few days recovering and then I will rejoin them! It has honestly been a very nice time so far being able to sit in the presence of the Lord and reflect on this year. As well as starting to think about what is coming next for me in the months to come. It was also the first time I have slept in a room all by myself in over 8 months! So, it really has been a blessing in disguise. There are also tons of furry friends at the hostile that keep me company 🙂 And it has been a time for me to be able to catch up with my friends and family at home, as well as being able to celebrate a few of my friends getting married this past weekend! Shoutout to Hannah and Tyler Carrie, and Haley and Jonathan Finn! SO blessed to have technology and be able to celebrate from overseas with them.
So, if you find yourself sitting around feeling kind of bored, shoot me a text, I am most likely reading the entire bible, reflecting on the year, petting a cat, or catching up on some Netflix!
Sorry again, for being so MIA lately. Unfortunately, this next month will not be much better, once I get to Swaziland, I will not have much internet until I get back to the states. Luckily for ya’ll that’s only a month away!!
Love and miss you all so dearly,
Cannot wait to catchup and hear what the Lord has been doing in your lives.
God bless,
Michaela
“Yes, I am the vine you are the branches, those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit, apart from me they can do nothing.” John 15:5
