Ask Yourself A Question: Do I Feel Lucky? (Part 1)

This month looks a little different than most. The World Race has never been to several countries along our route, so for this month our job is to make new ministry contacts within these countries to send teams to work with in the future. As my team crossed into Suriname we knew one concrete fact; to arrive in Manaus, Brazil for debrief by Oct 31st. Traveling through Suriname, French Guiana and down the Amazon River was up to us. As an expedition squad pioneering brand new countries, we had to be TOTALLY dependent upon HIM. Below are journal entries from our first month so far.

Suriname

Oct 6th-9:00 a.m.

After crossing the border yesterday, we spent the afternoon in a van and arrive at our motel in Paramaribo late last night. My team spends the morning actively listening to where God wants us to go. After forty minutes in silence we come together and talk about what we received. We decide to leave the next morning for French Guiana. Although we were told by our leaders to get in and out of French Guiana “as quickly as possible” due to the expensive cost of living, we feel a strong call to this country.

Oct 7th 7:30 a.m.

We finish loading our things into the cab and begin our two hour drive to the border. Once arriving our cab driver finds a ferry boat captain, who arranges our trip over the river. Reaching the border on the other side completes our travel arrangements. From here, it’s up to God.

French Guiana

Oct 7th 1:30 p.m.

After riding a bus infested with roaches (yah ew) we arrived in Kourou, a “big city” we all felt good about. However, when we arrive at a hotel that no longer takes guests, we realize that “city” is a subjective term. It’s a residential area with no hostels in sight and hotels way above our budget. Raychel, Vinnie, and Anouk begin asking the surrounding churches if they have ministry for us to do and ideas of where we can stay.

Oct 7th 3:30 p.m.

I hang up the phone with Anouk and think about the heavy disappointment I could hear in her voice. She wants to check in and make sure Chelsea and I are still ok watching the bags in the hotel parking lot. They may have a place we can stay tonight, but the town seems inhospitable and they have been turned down and rejected time after time and are hoping to continue on to the capital in the morning. I get off the phone and after saying a quick prayer that God will provide Chelsea says, “you know what I could really go for? A baguette.” We talk about baguettes for the next five minutes.

Oct 7th 6:30 p.m.

As we sit around the table with our new mom and sisters eating dinner (and yes there were baguettes, as well as sugar cookies, and the best juice ever) we stared at each other in shock at what the Lord provided for us. A beautiful, safe home to call ours for as long as we need, money leftover to afford groceries in this expensive country, a real bathroom with warm water, and a washer to do our laundry. The amazing family that God led us to is very well connected in Kourou and excited to show us around.

Oct 9th 1:00 p.m. 

As our host mom drives us down to the capital, Cayenne, to see where her husband works she yells in exasperation about how we can show up in a country with no plans like this. “If I didn’t have my own daughters I would take you all the way to Manaus myself!” She tells us that she will drive us all the way to the border, and help us make arrangements to get to the next city. This is a complete answer to prayer since we were nervous about navigating the Portuguese language in Brazil.

Oct 11th 10:00 a.m.

Chelsea, Anouk and I are walking the streets praying that God reveals more connections we can make for future teams to work with. A friend we met at church on Sunday, Jean-Renee, runs up to greet us. When he mentions his mom isn’t feeling well, we offer to pray for her and he agrees to take us to her home. Once there we get to talking and find out she is the coordinator of a salvation army called Secours Catholique Caritas France in Kourou. We arrange to meet with her on Thursday. 

Oct 13th 10:30 a.m.

After an amazing meeting at Secours Catholique, we leave feeling confident about the organization partnering with Adventures In Missions. They have an abundance of ministry opportunities and work to be done, but not enough volunteers. PERFECT. As we are walking back we see a cute French boutique and go inside. The clothing is beautiful and all imported from France, WAY above our means. As we are leaving, Chelsea notices the woman’s camera on the counter and strikes up a conversation. She writes for the local paper, and after sharing with her what we are doing and praying for her, we exchange information. She takes a picture for the newspaper article she wants to write about us. As we leave, she offers us each one of her beautiful scarves to take with us. We almost burst into tears by her generosity, if she only knew the day before I said how much I missed my pretty scarves…

 

  

Brazil

Oct 15th 1:45 p.m.

After being escorted across the border by our host mom we rented a truck for the next 8 hours and arrived at our hotel room late last night. We could only afford one night in the hotel so the next morning we do another hour of “listening” and feel God calling us to Manaus as quickly as possible. We rush to the mall to finish preparations for our journey along the Amazon River. As we are withdrawing money we meet a woman, Thaina, she is our age and speaks English! She offers to help us buy our SIM cards.

2:00 p.m.

As Anouk and I get SIM cards for our team phones, Thaina announces that after hearing our story she has talked to her father and he would like to pay for our accommodations in a hotel for another night. We exchange numbers and she agrees to come and pick us and all our stuff up from the hotel lobby we stayed in the night before.

9:00 p.m. 

Thaina takes us to a 5 star restaurant and we enjoy the best meal we’ve had in so long! Brazilian soda, shrimp, steak, and fish (without bones!) and all on her tab. Another way she wants to bless us. 

Oct 16th 2:30p.m.

After a perfect picnic by the river and enjoying fellowship with Thaina and her girl friends (now ours too) she along with Amanda, Ana, and Gabriel take us to the boat docks to act as translator and arrange the best deal for our journey down the river tomorrow. 

8:00 p.m

Leaving church service with Ana and Raf we meet the rest of our new squad for dinner in the city. They insist that when they invite their friends for a meal, they pay. Their generosity is overwhelming and humbling. They are just young people trying to make their way in this world! Ana is going to law school, Amanda teaches English, Thaina is a journalist. They’ve invited us into their lives with total trust and kindness like I’ve never seen before. 

Oct 17th 7:30 a.m

We can’t leave for the river until today, so Ana let the five of us stay in her home last night. She and I are the only ones up, and after getting bread and cheese at the store she is making me tapioca. It looks like a white pancake and has a grainy texture. She wanted to make a special Brazilian breakfast for us. She takes us to a pier looking out over the river we will be traveling and we take a few more fun pictures together. Amanda and Gabriel are picking us up in a few hours to take us to the docks for our journey down the Amazon river. 

2:00 p.m

After spending an hour with us; getting us onto the boat, buying us popsicles and helping us with our hammocks, Amanda and Gabriel make their way back to their cars. We yell goodbye from the boat and they turn back to smile and wave. How is it possible to make lifelong friends in less than 48 hours? I can’t stop thanking God for being the ultimate provider of ALL things, shelter, food, safety, friendships, laughter and love. I never doubted that Jesus would take care of us, but just HOW WELL He provided has blown me away.

Do I feel lucky? Not at all. You see there was never a gamble, never a chance. We have an All-Star playing for our team and He NEVER loses. We are learning what it looks like to live a life lead by Holy Spirit. In constant relationship with Jesus. A life handed over to Him.

And guess what? We are only halfway through our month. As we venture out along the Amazon River I know I don’t need luck…not when I have love, His love. So I ask myself the question, “what will HE do next?” 

James 1:5-6 “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without any doubts, for the one who has doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”