Genesis 12:1-9
Hello, friend!! I have several new changes and some exciting news that I would like to share with you! By the grace and faithful provision of the Lord, I became fully funded 4 days before the New Year!!! $19,850 raised in 6 months!! Won’t He do it!! God is so incredibly and abundantly good!! Thank you so much for sowing into this ministry, whether that was through prayer or finances, or both!! I truly would not have been able to do this without YOUR help!!
On January 12th, I arrived in Gainesville, Georgia, for Training Camp.
Training Camp was a two-week duration where my squad and I were equipped and trained physically and spiritually for the year ahead. My squad participated in mock scenarios, cultural training, worship, prayer, biblical studies/application, practicing hearing the voice of God, a hike with all of our gear, evangelism activation, a night of nonstop prayer in which we each had a shift to cover, sharing testimonies, baptisms, and a fast!!
We launched to our first ministry location in Thailand TODAY and will not return to the U.S. until November!!
As we set out to the nations to share the Good News, I wanted to share some of the amazing ways the Lord has moved and the profound impact the last 2 weeks have had on my life—which exceeded anything I would have ever expected.
To be frank, the first couple of days of camp were very difficult. It isn’t easy to leave behind the things that are precious and dear to us. The reality of a year spent away from family, friends, and everything I have ever known started to sink in, and I began to question if I had made the right decision, if this was truly where I was meant to be, and if I even wanted to be there. Having every comfort and security I’ve ever known stripped away at the same time left me feeling alone, out of my depth, vulnerable, and uncomfortable. My flesh stubbornly clung to the comforts I had left behind, and it was a struggle to maintain a willing and positive outlook.
But with each thing the Lord stripped away, something beautiful was sown in its place. The feelings of isolation were replaced with deeper intimacy with Him and a sense of belonging to a beautiful community fragrant with His presence. The rawness of vulnerability and insecurity was replaced with peace and hope. The discomfort and sadness were replaced with joy and expectancy.
Every rotten lie was replaced with a sweet, life-giving truth.
As the days passed, the cries of my heart changed from desiring what I knew to an all-consuming desperation for the King of Kings as I realized that above all, I wanted Him. As my priorities shifted, so did my concerns.
In a moment of costly worship at the feet of the King of Kings, I decided that Jesus was worthy of everything that I am and everything I had to give. My security, old patterns, old identities, things I didn’t realize I had been holding onto, past hurts, my pride and dignity, my dreams, my future, my life, and every part of my heart.
In order to hold onto Him with both hands, I had to let go of everything else I was holding onto and allow myself to become undone.
And let go I did.
The Lord met me where I was, saw me in my brokenness, heard the desperate cry of a heart that didn’t want to miss Him, and was moved with compassion. He did not pass me by! He didn’t turn away as I became undone; in fact, He invited it. Welcomed it.
He breathed new life and sang a sweet love song over me of freedom, a new identity, a new hope, and a promise for my future.
Oh, what a childlike joy His revival has brought to my heart!!
For those of you who know me personally, you know I have a hard time letting loose and getting outside of my comfort zone. BUT NOT ANYMORE!! I danced for the first time during worship at Camp, which is something I never thought I would do!! It was so freeing to step outside of myself, to decide that Jesus was worth more to me than my comfort zone, lay control down, and praise Him unabashedly!!!
What a God we serve and how worthy!!
The Lord used this Training Camp as a call to absolute obedience. As a call to total trust. As a call to step into the platform of God’s promise alone and not look back.
As a call to walk in radical boldness and love.
And to that call, my answer is yes! No matter how it looks, how He chooses to come, or what it costs.
Send me, Lord!
Here I am!
I am willing!
There is truly nothing I desire more than Jesus—and what a beautiful place that is to be. I thought I was fully surrendered before, but now, I know what it means to be fully sold out for the Lord.
Walking away from Training Camp, I feel a new passion for missions! The Lord has truly stirred up a new faith in me and set me on fire for Him and His kingdom!! I am so excited and expectant for all that He will do and where He will lead in Thailand!
Now that I’ve shared some of the ways the Lord moved at Training Camp, let’s talk about the lovely people who I have the honor of serving with throughout the next 11 months on mission!!
There are 16 people on my squad, 9 girls (Amanda, Ella, Abby, Lillie, Sarah, Mandy, Ava, and Alex) and 7 guys (Tucker, John, Michael, Aaron, Issa, Brice, and Coby). We also have two alumni leaders, Elijah and Jessie; a mentor, Hannah; and two coaches, Doug and Kris. In 2 short weeks, this amazing community has become family!!
(Family photo in our squad t-shirts that we designed!!!)
It is truly a blessing to have been able to cultivate such a biblical and intimate community right from the get-go! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many Christ-centered men and women who walk in selfless love, are quick to pray, encourage, and build up, and are passionate and unashamed in their pursuit of the King of Kings!! His design thrives in each person so uniquely, and it is such an honor to witness!!
The wisdom and radical love of our leadership is so incredible!! Kris, Doug, Hannah, Elijah, and Jessie are so kind, have so much amazing and biblical wisdom to offer, and have such beautiful and tender hearts for the Lord!! I am so excited to continue to be discipled by them and to grow and serve under their guidance!!
This is truly a community that is so reflective of the Lord and so clearly ordained by Him, and I am honored to be a part of it!! It is a privilege to pursue the Lord and to serve His people with this amazing squad!!
Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: pictures from Training Camp!!!
(A picture of all of the girls in S-Squad minus leadership. Fun fact: 4 of us are from Michigan!!)
(A picture of S-Squad, Jessie, and Elijah with all of our gear after our hike)
(Picture from one of our team prayers)
(Picture of our sleeping arrangement from the past 2 weeks!! It was basically one big sleepover with everyone at camp! The girls had one side of the room and the guys had the other side)
(audio from worship/prayer & baptisms!! Such a powerful, beautiful, and joyous moment!)
If you would like to pray for me and my squad as we launch to our first ministry locations, here are some prayer points:
- That those in my squad who are not fully funded yet would see the Lord’s miraculous provision and that they would make the fundraising deadlines;
- Protection from illness and injury and for continued good health;
- For a smooth and swift adjustment to our new time zone (we are now 12 hours ahead of EST);
- Team unity and firm foundations in Christ;
- For radical boldness and love as we share the Gospel with the Thai people and for good seeds to be planted in fertile soil; and
- That His ministry through each of us would be fruitful and saturated with the fragrance of the presence, power, and anointing of the Holy Spirit!!
Stay tuned for more updates about our teams, what ministry will look like, and what God is doing in Thailand!!! God bless!!
Joyfully His,
Areonah
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