Saying Yes pt 2 (Serving with Dunamis + Month 8)

Pls read my pt 1 blog for context of why I am in Ecuador! 

Here in Ecuador I have the absolute honor to serve with the Dunamis Foundation for the last two months of being overseas. 4 days ago I walked into a room to 14 beautiful eyes staring at me and my team. 14 smiles eager to greet us. 14 souls that survived the horrors of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. 

Dunamis is a foundation that cares for and rehabilitates girls under 18 who have been rescued from trafficking and abuse. These are the strongest girls and young women I have ever met in my life. 

Half the days of the week me and my team work in the house with the girls. Each hour is scheduled for them and we participate in activities like soccer, group therapy, equine therapy, agriculture (planting vegetables), games, and assisting them with their online school. Four of the girls also have babies so we often babysit while they do their activities. The other days of the week we work in the greenhouse where we tend to 3,000 golden berry plants to sell and raise money for the girls. The other half of this kind of day we head to a community about 5 minutes away that is very void of the joy of the Lord. There we love on the kids by playing soccer, serving them food, and most importantly telling them of the name of Jesus (some of them have never heard of Him before). 

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I am officially in month 8 of the World Race Gap Year. How crazy is that?! For the last seven months I have been refined, tested, pruned, broken, put together and loved in all shapes and forms. With that said, it’s time for some vulnerability because I am learning a lot about life right now through the start of the going home process. 

Month 5-6 ish was probably one of the hardest months for me mentally. If I am being completely honest, I really just wanted to go home. I was tired and worn. I felt weary. The World Race was no longer cute and glamorous. 

During debrief at the end of our time in South Africa, my heart shifted greatly. My heart grew deeper for my squad. I was ready to go back to ministry. I was still tired and worn (I still am), yet I was ready to give it my all and finish this thing wholeheartedly. From a heart posture and realization that these last two months matter.

That takes me back to saying “yes”. I had to reevaluate what that even meant for me. 

When I joined the race, my why was to love people so intentionally that all they see in me is Jesus. My heart broke for the emptiness the human race feels on a daily basis and the worldwide lack of hope in Him. 

That continues to be my why. But if I am not saying yes to the why, I am accomplishing nothing. My flesh continually questions me. It is always telling me to say no to my why. It is reminding me of how stupid I am going to look or shortcuts instead of restful solutions I can take when I am feeling extra tired some days.  

But I have two months left. In these two months, I say yes. Yes to Jesus. Yes to the nine months I committed to. Yes to the girls at Dunamis. Yes to the country of Ecuador. Yes to my squad. Yes to my why. 

Because the best yes I can ever give is to the One who minute by minute gives His best yes to me.

Bye for now, 

MG