I’m home?!?!

I’m home!! After 3 months in Hawaii, 3 months in Central Asia and a week in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), I am back in the land of cloudy rainy days, afternoon tea and fish and chips.

As I sit here, my heart overflows with gratitude and delight. The last 6 months, while so incredibly hard to sum up into mere words, have been nothing short of amazing and catalytic. A true time of finding Jesus in the nations, revelation, growth, and joy!

It feels surreal to be back home, surrounded by familiar faces and comforting sights. Yet, amidst the warmth of homecoming, I find myself reflecting on the profound experiences and transformative moments that have defined my time away.

My time in Hawaii was surrounded by new friends who inspired me, pushed me closer to Jesus and showed me such joy of the Lord. They say the lecture phase is like trying to drink water out of a fire hydrant, we were taught so much every day through different teachers each week in class, intercession, worship, and community living every week. I learned so much about freedom, the character of God, the importance of intercession and worship, and probably way more than I could even put a finger on. I also learnt the importance of intimacy with the Lord, I was able to go to the prayer room daily and just for hours be on my knees in prayer and worship, God simply wants a relationship with his sons and daughters.

And while I loved being in Hawaii so much, I still can't express how transformative and incredible my outreach was in Central Asia. Central Asia went from being a place I had never even thought of or knew of, to a place that radically changed my life, a place that I feel so called to on long-term missions, a place that burdens my heart daily with the reality of the unreached, that only 0.5% of the population know Jesus, see him rightly, and know the love, joy, peace, and sacrifice of Jesus.

I learnt so much and received so much revelation, was able to meet and minister to believers and Muslims in Central Asia and actively intercede for the people of the nation while IN the nation, while having the best time! We came home with so many testimonies of people being saved, redeemed, healed, and freed! It truly catalysed my heart and spirit to do missions for the rest of my life, there is no better feeling than seeing someone saved, especially in such unreached nations!

But perhaps the most profound lessons I learnt came from moments of struggle and uncertainty. In the face of difficulty, I have witnessed the faithfulness and grace of God, the unwavering power of faith and the importance of gratitude and walking in the spirit. Being a missionary in a Muslim nation led me to face enemy attacks like I'd never seen before. But it was SO WORTH IT. Jesus truly brought me out of it and brought me true freedom! We have a victorious God!! Who saves, heals, delivers, and redeems, all because he loves unconditionally!! Jesus is truly worth any hardship!! And so are the people of Central Asia and the unreached. The lessons learned most during this time were.

-       Our words have power, so speak life!

-       Walk in the spirit and believe the gospel when it says Jesus frees, redeems, and saves.

-       The enemy likes to attack most when we are on the edge of a breakthrough and/or proving the sovereignty and power of Jesus Christ and the weakness of the enemy.

-       When in times of mental struggle- speak the name of Jesus, who Jesus says, what he has done and what he promises to do and speak gratitude over us, other people, situations and against the enemy.

-       We have the power and authority in Jesus Christ to stamp on snakes and scorpions.

As I look back on the last few months, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I am grateful for the countless lives I've had the privilege to touch, gratitude for the lessons learned, and gratitude for the support of my loved ones back home. My DTS may have finished but my journey as a missionary has only started, the memories and lessons of my DTS will forever be etched in my heart as the time I gripped for missions, intercession, the unreached and partnering with God.

I am 100% confident that I will be in missions for the rest of my life, I feel so called to the unreached, the 3.4 billion people who do not know Jesus. I'm so excited to partner with God on this and it's such a joy and an honour to lay down my life for him and the unreached. Jesus has changed my life; through the generational grace he has had on my family's lives through my grandparents and parents’ sacrifices and dedication of their lives to the Lord. As well as the encounters, revelation, and faithfulness he has shown me in my life by keeping his promises, speaking to me, and showing me the meaning and purpose of life, which is in, through and to him.

Now, as I return home, I find myself navigating the complexities of readjusting to life in familiar surroundings. The familiarity of home, while comforting, serves as a reminder of the contrast between the world I left behind, and the world I now inhabit.

There is a disconnect between the experiences I've had and the reality of everyday life here, leaving me feeling like a stranger in my own surroundings. I didn’t feel like I dealt with much culture shock going into the nations but coming home, culture shock has been a journey. An overwhelming sense of being surrounded by so many people, who speak English, may know me, look like me, aren’t Muslim, aren’t in poverty and the prices of things being way more expensive, …and being able to flush toilet roll down the toilet!  Yet, amidst the challenges, my time away has taught me the importance of resilience, adaptability, gratitude, and joy. I am reminded to approach each day with an open heart and a willingness to embrace the journey, wherever it may lead.

While I feel I sometimes have done poorly at actually executing this, often falling into patterns of longing, laziness, and complacency in the midst of missing the community, ministry, friendships, lifestyle, and places of Central Asia, it is just a constant reminder of the blessings and faithfulness I was given in the last season. Which is a cause to celebrate.

If you can't tell, the last six months have surely been the best six months of my life so far and have radically changed my life. As I've said, I did a YWAM discipleship training school, which is such a massive, amazing, and impactful ministry internationally. And of course, I have to do a YWAM plug!!.. if you ever want to learn more about YWAM or DTS let me know and I will be more than happy to talk about it! Also if you're interested in doing the same courses I did, I'll leave the link below, you'll never regret giving six months of your life to see Jesus move in the nations!

https://ywamkona.org/courses/fire-and-fragrance-dts/

Thank you for reading my blogs over the last six months!!

In my next post (this week), I will explain my next steps… which will be so exciting!!

I would be so blessed if you would prayerfully partner with me and what the Lord is doing in the nations in prayer as I become a missionary.

Prayer requests:

-       For Central Asia!!—that God will reveal himself to his people, in dreams, visions and encounters, so that they may know the truth and love of Jesus.

-       Pray for more missionaries to rise to go to the unreached!! That people will “go”. Matthew 28:19-20 is a call to all people from Jesus to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

-       That God would continue to direct and provide for me as I follow the call as a missionary!

Thank you for all of the support, I love you guys! Please reach out if you have any questions, I would love to talk to you!!