Domestic Missions & Departure: From Black Mountain to Eswatini

The past couple of weeks have been so special. We wrapped up our time at training camp and jumped straight into a week of domestic missions in Black Mountain, North Carolina and it honestly could not have been a better way to start living out what we’ve been preparing for. Black Mountain was hit by Hurricane Helene a year ago, and so many people there are still recovering from the damage. We got to partner with Adventures Relief, a branch of Adventures in Missions, to help rebuild and repair homes for families who lost so much.

My team spent most of the week doing insulation work under homes, which definitely stretched us (literally). Some of us were crawling under the house stapling insulation while the rest stayed outside cutting pieces and handing supplies back and forth. It was uncomfortable, funny, challenging, and honestly so rewarding. The homeowner we worked with, Gloria, was the absolute sweetest. Every single day she would come outside, count how many of us were there, and cook the most incredible meals homemade fajitas, carnitas, and herbal tea that was just too good to be true. She didn’t have to do any of that, but she did. Getting to serve her was a blessing, but she served us just as much!

It was also our first week of ministry as a team, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the people I get to do life with for the next eight months. Our team is called Gili, which in Hebrew means “my joy” or “rejoicing.” And that’s exactly who we are joyful, hardworking, and ready to love people like Jesus does. God definitely handpicked this team perfectly. All the girls stayed in one huge military style tent filled with bunk beds, which made it feel like one big sleepover every night. It was chaotic but so fun. We also had time to explore the little mountain town, which was peaceful and so full of charm.

After that, we headed into a debrief week a slower-paced time to rest, reflect on Black Mountain, and prepare for going overseas. We had lots of free time, which meant people were either sleeping, running last-minute errands, or sitting on the dining deck talking for hours (our favorite activity). We also spent a lot of time interceding for the people of Eswatini, praying over the kids and communities we’ll get to serve soon.

Each night our squad had a “hangout”, everything from movie nights and bonfires to game nights and late-night snack runs. It was such a sweet, memory filled week to close out our time in the States. We ate our last U.S. meals, said goodbye to the serve team and staff who have poured so much into us, and officially started our journey overseas.

Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting in Istanbul, Turkey – hour 13 of our 17-hour layover! We left for the Atlanta airport at 6:00 a.m. on October 4th, flew out at 3:00 p.m., and landed 10 hours later at 8:30 a.m. Turkey time. At 1:50 a.m., we’ll board our next flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, which is another 10 hours in the air. From there, we’ll drive about six hours to the Eswatini border, and then two more hours to our home base in Nsoko. We’ll be in Eswatini for the next two months, working in care ministries with children teaching, nurturing, and feeding them. For some of these kids, it’s the only meal they’ll get in a day.

While we’re in Eswatini, the teams will split up again the four girls’ teams will stay in Nsoko, and the two boys’ teams will be in Manzini, one of the main cities in the country. We’re all so hopeful and expectant for what God is going to do in and through every squad leader, racer, family, and child during this time.

These next two months are going to be so transformative for all of us. Please be praying for my squad and me as we touch down and step into this new season. The town we’ll be in has very limited service, so blogging might not be as frequent as I was hoping. I’ll still be writing once a week, but they might not get posted until we’re in Malaysia at the beginning of December once we have better Wi-Fi.

I can’t wait to tell you everything the Lord is doing. I love each and every one of you, and I can’t thank you enough for the donations, prayers, and encouragement that have gotten me here. Your support truly means the world to me.

Here’s to Eswatini our next big chapter! Talk to you soon 🙂