Good Morning Family & Friends

I have been in Kyrgyzstan for just over a month now! Time is going by super fast and I can’t keep track of it. As I pray that it slows down, I am so ready to see all of you very soon. God has done some amazing things here. 

On October 3, my teammate Rachel got a call saying that her great-grandma had had a stroke and was not going to make it through the night. To rewind the story just a little bit, two days before this call Rachel was talking about having a great-grandma who is 98 to a class of students. The teacher asked her to share her secret to longevity. It is beautiful that Rachel got to share a piece of her great-grandmother’s story to strangers across the world. Now, let us fast forward to what I was saying at the beginning. This was very hard news. I remember sitting with Rachel to comfort her, and hearing her family sing worship songs in her great-grandmother’s hospital room. What a powerful glimpse of a loving community of believers as they lay a family member to rest. Rachel's great-grandmother died at 1:00am the next morning.

Mourning from a family member is hard, but morning from far away is even harder. So Rachel decided to go home to be with her family. This was hard on me as a teammate because Rachel has become one of my dearest friends. So I cried when I found out that she was leaving for two weeks, basically the rest of the time we have in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Well, before you leave the country, you must take a COVID test! Rachel went the day before her planned departure date to get a COVID test and found out, surprisingly, that she had COVID. Since she didn’t have any symptoms at the time, she confirmed this with a second test, which was also positive. In the process of this the Lord was working on my heart. I had been Rachel's roommate at the time. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to comfort her and not run away in fear. So, when I was asked if I wanted to leave the room so that she could quarantine by herself, I said that I would stay and not leave the room. So the agreement was that I would quarantine with her.

I knew the risk that I was taking but it was best “No” that I have said the entire World Race. My dearest friend Rachel was in mourning; I refused to let her do this alone. As I am writing this I am on day four of quarantine. Rachel has lost her sense of smell and tastes and has cold-like symptoms. I have had a fever, chills, body aches, and an intermittent cough. I have not yet been tested for covid but I hope to get tested soon. Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”

As I wait to find out if I have COVID or not I am trusting the Lord in the unknown. As always, I encourage you to love those around you even if it causes you to physically lay down your life.

I would appreciate your prayer and support during this time. I am not sure if I am going to have to go to the doctor if it gets bad. Pray for my team as they learn how to process this information.

 It has been very hard to connect with them during this time because of social distance. Thanks again for your prayers. I love you and I will see you soon.