June.

It’s been too long since I’ve give y’all a real update, and far too much has happened to tell you every detail. But I still want to let you know what’s been happening down here on the Isle of Spice for the past few weeks.

Well, close to the beginning of the month, I was able to help during two nights of a youth rally in a different town! That was a blessing. If you saw my Facebook posts, that was when I had the privilege of leading 3 different young people to the LORD!

The church took a tour day on June 19th since it was a national holiday: Corpus Christi. That was a blast! We got to go up all around the coast of the island, through each of the parishes (segments of the island; basically what we might consider states), taking pictures and laughing and bouncing along the roads in Pas’s big old van. Grenada is truly a gorgeous island. There is so much to see and explore and do, even for people who have lived here their entire lives.

The day after the tour, we went up to the opposite north-west side of the island for a crusade at a sister church, where an American team arrived to work for about a week. It was such an encouragement to meet Americans who have a heart for missions! There were seasoned preachers, a whole family, Bible College students, and teenagers, all from the same church. We were back at that same church for their crusade on Sunday night and Monday night as well; and on Wednesday I got to meet the team in town to shop at the Spice Market with them and then say good-bye before they left for the USA on Thursday. What a blessing to meet them!

June has been full of ups and downs, but you know: I think it has been the best month so far. I’ve learned a lot, and a great percentage of those lessons have been painful, frustrating, or just challenges I did not want to face. But God is faithful, and I am OVERWHELMED at how He has blessed me and broken me and molded me this past month. Not because of anything I do or anything I’ve done or claim to be, but because of Who He is, and how He loves.

I’ve been reading not a fan. by Kyle Idleman, and it is changing my life. Honestly and truly, how many of us claim to be Christians and say we are following Jesus, but are actually more interested in just being a fan? Oh we’ll show up at the “stadium” [church] and clap and cheer for the miracles He does and the prayers He answers, and we even know a lot about Him! All the stories, what He calls Himself…but do we really know Him? If we truly know Him, it will affect every single area of our lives. You’ll be changed: every part of you. Holding nothing back. Are you a fan or a follower? Go read this book. Seriously.

In conclusion, I think I’ve changed during this month. I’ve made a lot of new friends, and just thrown myself into life here. I’m down to one month left. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. Some days it feels as though I’ve been here forever; other days it seems as though I arrived last week. Crazy stuff.

But God is not finished with me yet! I’ve still got an entire month to live and to be and to do here in Grenada. There are still shops to be explored, beaches to be relaxed upon, twisty roads to whip around, cornrows to be plaited, freckles to be gained…and people to be reached. So let’s do this.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I couldn’t be doing this without all y’all.

// 1 Peter 5:10-11