(to read in spanish, please scroll down / por favor baja un poco para leer en español)

ENGLISH

THANK YOU!! Thank you to everyone who has been covering my team Kainos in prayer. After traveling more than 7,500 miles and through 14 states, God has been so good and has protected us and our super van. We left Georgia 8 weeks ago and I am writing this blog from Las Vegas, Nevada! We are all safe and sound, and this is a miracle which you are a part of. Thanks you again!

Kainos means "new" or "fresh" in Greek. The name of our team is inspired by Isaiah 43:18-19 and you can read more about us in this blog that my friend Hannah wrote.

So far we have made 4 stops where we partner with churches and organizations that serve the community in the states of Indiana/Kentucky, Idaho, Washington and Nevada. I will try to share how this time has been, how you can pray for our different ministry partners and what God has taught me. I will also be sharing blogs of my teammates that you can visit if you want to know more!

NEW ALBANY, INDIANA / LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

We were living and working for two weeks with a beautiful family that is part of the leadership team of Graceland Baptist Church in New Albany, Indiana. We were able to support them by restoring a building that will be used to reach the youth in the community with extracurricular activities and after school programs. This made me happy! I was able to use my construction and painting skills a bit haha. We could not meet the students because the schools had not started yet, but we were able to pray for each space where the church team would be sharing with them. You can join us in supporting them in prayer: that this community center is a space where young people feel loved and can have a personal encounter with Jesus that transforms their lives, families and communities. 

Due to COVID restrictions, the church is discovering new ways to reach the community understanding that prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit is essential. We were part of the prayer walks that the church is doing around the community. We prayed for the neighbors, for each space of the church, the leadership and the elderly members that are being affected. Let us continue to pray that the Lord will give wisdom to the pastoral team to make future decisions.

We also had the honor of preparing breakfast for the staff who works in a school near the church. We woke up at 3:30am and prepared food for 75 people. It was wonderful to be able to bless these teachers who have worked hard over the summer to prepare for this new school year full of new challenges with COVID and all the craziness. You can see a video of how it went in this link and you can also join us in continuing to pray for the staff and 350 students who attend this school; and for all the schools, teachers, parents and children who are adapting to this new school reality. 

We also partnered with Scarlet Hope, a ministry in Louisville, Kentucky that is dedicated to reach out to women who work in the adult entertainment industry showing God's love by building relationships, providing them with food, training and work alternatives so they can have a fresh start out of the industry. This organization has offices in 5 cities in the United States. Every Thursday from 6pm to midnight, part of Scarlet Hope's team goes out to bars and strip clubs to bring a hot meal and spend time with the women who work in these places. The rest of the team stays at the base interceding. We had the privilege of being part of the prayer team.

Please join us praying every Thursday for the team and for the women who have been reached. That they can feel loved and see their value, that they can take the opportunity through Scarlet Hope to get out of this terrible industry, that they can experience freedom from this lifestyle that oppresses them; but above all that they can have a personal encounter with Jesus. We also pray for the owners of these businesses and for every man who feels the need to go to these bars, that the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin and that they may come to true repentance.

Lastly, during our time in Kentucky, we were supporting the Re:Center ministry, a Christian recovery center for homeless people. Part of our team was working at the center, and the rest of us were supporting Thrift n Thrive, a store that receives donations and sells all kinds of things to raise funds to maintain the center. At the same time it is a work source for men who finish the recovery program. It was a blessing to be able to work with them, share God's love, and learn about their stories. -You can read more about these gentlemen in this beautiful blog that Hannah wrote-

Let's continue to pray for the homeless population in this country and ministries like the Re:Center recovery program. That through programs like this their lives can be transformed and they can know the only inexhaustible source of peace, love and hope they need: Jesus.

Working in the store with these men reminded me of our time in Penang, Malaysia - one of our last stops of the international World Race before returning to the US due to COVID- There I had the opportunity to work to restore, organize and open a store called Home 2 Home Thrift Shop whose funds are directed to finance a community center that serves the most disadvantaged youth in the community. During our time there we were able to work with some of the boys and learn about their stories. Most came from another country and were living as refugees in Malaysia. Please join us in prayer for them too. (For security reasons I can't give many details but you can see a general video of our time there that my friend Lauren made in this link)

It was a beautiful coincidence/gift of God that my last ministry serving in the international field was supporting the Home 2 Home store, and that one of the first ministries here in the US was also a store: Thrift n Thrive. Working at both stores felt the same, but different. During these last few months God has definitely transformed my heart and given me a passion to serve the people here as I was passionate about serving the people in the 10/40 window. Praise God! This was my prayer when I started World Race America.

Comparing both experiences I have noticed how in the international field (at least in 3rd world countries where I have gone) the need is much more evident, easier to identify and satisfy: they are hungry, let's buy food. They need shelter, let's build a roof. There is no access to education, let's build a school. On the other hand, here in the United States, the land of opportunities, most of the needs are not so obvious: they are issues of the heart and mental health.

The United States is one of the countries with the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol use. These are problems that are not so easily seen, you need to have a conversation and get to know people to know what is happening inside, you need to break down barriers and prejudices. These are deep problems that only Jesus can heal and only the Holy Spirit can reveal to you.

I am a person who enjoys doing. I studied architecture and I love seeing the results of what I do with my hands. I'm not used to not doing. During this time God has taught me to BE STILL. I've learned that whatever effort I make that I can see is in vain unless He is behind it (as Psalm 127 says). I have learned to depend more on Him, not to focus on doing but on praying and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide me into everything I do and say. And it has been incredible! I have seen how only He can transform hearts and renew minds, there is not much that I can do physically to make that happen.

I invite you to do the same! To let go of control and trust fully in what only He can do. It is hard, but it is way better when we let God be God and we just join in what He is already doing. It also takes a huge pressure off of you! Peoples salvation does not depend on you! It is 100% God and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Please continue to support us in prayer. We still have two months of World Race America left. Pray that we can continue to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, that we have divine encounters and conversations that point people to Christ, that we be His hands and feet, and that we continue to bring His freedom, hope and good news everywhere we go. (Isaiah 61)

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves." Psalms 127:1-2

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn..." Isaiah 61:1-2

ESPAÑOL

¡¡GRACIAS!! Gracias a todos los que han estado cubriendo en oración a mi equipo Kainos. Luego de viajar por más de +12.000 km y 14 estados, Dios ha sido demasiado bueno y nos ha protegido a nosotras y nuestra súper van. ¡Salimos de Georgia hace 8 semanas y estoy escribiendo este blog desde Las Vegas, Nevada! Estamos todas sanas y salvas, y esto es un milagro del cual ustedes son parte. De nuevo, ¡Gracias!

Kainos significa “nuevo” o “fresco” en griego. El nombre de nuestro equipo está inspirado en Isaías 43:18-19 y puedes leer más de nosotras en este blog que escribió mi amiga Hannah.

Hasta ahora hemos hecho 4 paradas importantes donde trabajamos en conjunto con varias iglesias y organizaciones que sirven a la comunidad en los estados de Indiana/Kentucky, Idaho, Washington y Nevada. Voy a tratar de compartirles poco a poco cómo ha sido este tiempo, cómo puedes apoyarnos en oración y lo que Dios me ha enseñado. ¡Estaré compartiendo también blogs de mis compañeras que puedes visitar si quieres saber más!

NEW ALBANY, INDIANA / LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Estuvimos viviendo y trabajando por dos semanas con una bella familia que forma parte del liderazgo de la Iglesia Bautista Graceland en New Albany, Indiana. Pudimos apoyarles restaurando un edificio que será usado para alcanzar a los estudiantes más vulnerables de la comunidad con actividades extracurriculares y tareas dirigidas. ¡Esto me hizo feliz! Pude usar un poco mis habilidades de construcción y pintura jaja. No