- hazelwoodhannah
Jumping in the deep end.
The last 10 days has been a rollercoaster to say the least.
December 1st I left Raleigh, NC on a delayed flight headed to Newark, NJ. Boarded on time, yet the flight was delayed again. We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany late but with time to spare. An American spoke German to me thinking I was a German. I responded in English and she chuckled. After 19 hours of travel I finally landed in Bilbao, Spain where I was greeted by my teammates, Tim and Pam Darling. We then began the 1.5 - 2 hour drive to Logroño, Spain. We ate dinner, then Tim and Pam took me to my current residence. (Thank you to Caleb and Sarah Burdett for letting me stay here)!
December 3rd I had a bit of a rest day which was MUCH NEEDED! Jet lag is a REAL thing! December 4th we had our bible study, with 8 in attendance (including Tim, Pam, and I) and then we made the trip to the Aierdi Farmhouse for a Missionary Teen Retreat. It was both exhausting and amazing. I got to learn the stories of so many people and hear how their family does ministry. We had 14 MTs (Missionary Teens) from 6 different countries: Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. It was an awesome time getting to jump right in to ministry, fellowshipping with the teens, ministering along side the other missionaries, staying up late with them, making memories I will forever cherish!
I approached the days not knowing what to expect at all, but God truly used it to touch my heart and encourage me for the rest of my ministry. We had so many challenging lessons geared around KEEPING OUR MIND ON CHRIST. We were also given so many practical ways to do so. I got to get a lot of advice from missionaries that have been on the field of all different points of life. I also had the opportunity to do ministry with a soon to be married couple and fellowship with them in the same season of life. They get married this coming Sunday so please be in prayer for them.
I had what can only be explained as a God moment. When I was 12 years old I was attending a camp called the Wilds in Brevard, NC. God used that time to call me into full time ministry and laid missions on my heart. In 2019, the whole BMM team in Spain fellowshipped in Villaescusa, Spain for the 4th of July. It was there that my CIT advisor, Beth Horn, stopped by to say hey. I had absolutely no clue she was in Spain at all. Fast forward 3 years, when I get to the Aierdi Farmhouse I was told a missionary family had a connection to the Wilds. It was more than a simple connection. David and Jennifer Willis, now missionaries to the Basque Country of Spain, had worked at the Wilds all but two years that I had gone. Working beside them was amazing and encouraging. It was just an awesome confirmation to me of God reaffirming what He had called me to do.
After all that I am run down and wiped out. It seems I have gotten a cold from being exhausted and having a run down immune system. Please pray that I can recover quickly. Today has been better!
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