...and beyond

The end of February marked the 7th month for me. Over half a year in Brazil already! Hard to believe.. feels much longer some days and shorter other days. I thought this would be a good time to share a bit more about my vision; thoughts about the future; where I am headed. Although I am a bit of a private person, and I guard my dreams closely.. I feel like it is time, and important, to share why I am in Brazil and the trajectory of my life.

Although I have been here for over 6 months, it does not mark the "half way" point as some of you might assume. That would imply that I will be finished in Brazil after a year. This, is not the case. Though I have made a committment with the YWAM base here in Belo to work alongside them for 1 year, the actual vision for my stay in Brazil is long-term. Some of you might have already been aware of this.

Right now my plan is to come home in summer to attend my brother's wedding, visit family friends and church, and do some support raising. I then plan to return here to the YWAM base in Belo to continue on for at least one more year. But then what, you ask? What is there for me here that keeps me coming back?

Four years ago, God gave me a dream (very specifically) to go and work up in the Amazon with unreached indigenous tribes. It's a long story (that I would love to share with you if you are interested) that happened one night out of nowhere while I was sitting in my bed in Perth, Australia. I have not always known why, or what to do with this dream... at times I looked in the mirror and fought against it, arguing with God to LOOK at me - I, of all people, do not belong in the jungle. But since that night in Perth, this conviction has never left my heart. And one night God brought these words to my head, "The only qualification I am looking for is a willing heart."


And whether being staff at the base in Perth, working at the mall in Winkler, hanging out with friends.. I have always kept this dream in the depths of my heart. And now I am here in Brazil, one step closer to the place God has called me to. The question that burns within me is, "Who will go if I do not go? Who will venture to the dark places to find the lost and tell them? Why NOT me?"

I have the opportunity to take my first steps to the Amazon region in a couple of weeks. There is going to be a huge conference held in Porto Velho, which is up north near the state of Amazonas. The conference will be a meeting of leaders from all over the world who are going to talk about the issues and obstacles regarding unreached people groups in the world today. If you are interested to see more, follow this link!

http://www.amazoncofm.org/en/

I feel like it is the next important step in my journey here in Brazil! I will be honest and say I do not have everything figured out; I do not know when or how I will eventually venture up north to stay, and what that will look like when I do, but right now I feel that is not important. I am here now, and trusting that as I continue on, God will continue to guide and direct me as He has been doing.

I pray you are safe and well wherever you are reading this from - thanks for stopping by! :)