Greetings from Guatemala!!
I have spent two weeks here in this beautiful country and already I am so excited that I get to spend another 8 weeks here. The Lord is moving and He has given me the opportunity to jump in and be a part of what He is doing in this country and in the ministries that my team has been partnered with. It is awesome…but first let me backup.
How did I get here?
At the end of my race, I was praying through some opportunities and possibilities of what the Lord was leading me into post-race. One of the opportunities given to me to pray about was squad leading. As I was praying into this while still on the field, I felt like the Lord told me that my race was not finished yet. I knew that by stepping out into something that feels really uncomfortable would be an opportunity to press into Holy Spirit for wisdom, direction, and guidance for every step of the way. As I said yes to this new adventure I was unclear about what it would look like, but I knew that this is what the Lord was leading me into and that He was inviting me to a greater level of dependency on Him.
These last 3 months have been a WHIRLWIND. They have been challenging, fun, beautiful, heartbreaking, sweet, and WILD. I have needed to be reliant on the Lord in so many new ways and because of that I have also seen so much growth both in the Squad that I get to walk alongside and in my own walk with the Lord.
What have I been up to since August 14th?
August 14th- Left California
August 15th- Arrived in Georgia
August 15th- August 26- Training for all Squad Leaders (This was a really sweet time of training and diving into some topics like conflict resolution, team building, Father’s Heart, Spiritual Warfare, Inner Healing, etc.
August 27th- Racers came and TRAINING CAMP BEGAN
September 25th- Training Camp ended and Gap J ladies were commissioned into Domestic Outreach for 2 weeks in North Carolina while the guys went and volunteered with Samaritan's Purse in Kentucky
September 25th-October 8th- Volunteering with Excel College in Black Mountain, NC helping out with various service projects around Black Mountain to bless the community.
October 9th-14th- Debrief (A chance to rest, reflect, remember, and be equipped/ refreshed)
October 15th- Flight to Guatemala
What did Training Camp look like?
Training Camp is an EXPERIENCE! The Gap Year Racers got the full 4 week experience. It includes sessions and teachings to prepare racers for the field. The topics of the sessions included: Father Heart, Hearing God, Holy Spirit, Apologetics, Spiritual Warfare etc.
Training Camp is a time to get out of one’s comfort zone through sleeping in tents, eating new cultural foods, living in community, bucket showers, bonding with new teams, sleeping scenarios, and letting go of comforts and expectations.
What is my role?
I am a Squad leader/ Team Leader. This means that I am one of 5 people who care for the overall squad, but also have one specific team that I am a part of for the whole 9 months that we are together.
I am a part of Team Kaleo!
Kaleo is Hebrew for “Called by God” as found in Ephesians 4:1-3
What did Outreach look like in North Carolina?
We spent two weeks partnering with Excel Bible college in Black Mountain, NC. We joined them to serve and love their community. Ministry varied from day to day, but included doing work projects to bless small businesses, helping distribute food or cleaning. Our last few days involved helping out with a Fall Festival at Black Mountain Home for Children.
How has the Lord been revealing himself to me in the Last 3 months?
My Sustainer
My Portion
My Friend
My Anchor
…plus so much more!
What has the Lord been speaking over this season with Gap J for me specifically?
Return to a similar season of when I was in Indonesia in 2018. He is taking me deeper into the lessons that I first learned that summer. (More on this later)
Hope restored
What is new with Blogging?
Adventures in Missions is in the process of switching Blog platforms to Missional Life. Here is my new Blog Link: https://missional.life/elizabeth-kelley
You will need to create an account in order to view future blogs on this site. We are still troubleshooting some things with the site and I will be still posting my blogs on this site for the time being.
THANK YOU!
Thank you is such an understatement. Thank you for supporting me and praying for me. I am FULLY FUNDED for my time with J-Squad. Thank you to everyone who has prayed, donated, encouraged me, and has followed along. I am so grateful!
As I have been switching all of my blogs over to the new site I have been blown away by the way that the Lord has invited me into this. So many stories and so many ways that I have seen the Lord moving in the almost 3 YEARS since I first wrote a blog. A lot of things have changed in the last 3 years and Covid delayed my initial launch, but somehow I am still here. Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness to me in every season, in every storm, in every celebration. It’s your victory!
For the Glory of the Worthy King!
-Elizabeth
