Hi family and friends,
Update on my last three months:
We arrived in Honduras and traveled to a beautiful mountain where we lived in tents within the beauty of God’s creation. Most of my days consisted of manual labor, working in the kitchen, and doing women’s ministry among the communities on the mountains. I had the privilege to work/create the plot for the church and woman’s center. I also found a new favorite hobby, cutting down trees, I have cut down 34. When someone would say they need trees I would get so happy, I would grab a machete and ax and head into the woods. Living on the mountain was not easy by any means but it was the most rewarding. Being the first team to the mountain to create places for future teams and a foundation for the church and woman’s center. A source of light and love to the communities. I also had the opportunity to work in the kitchen for many days I learned how to make tortillas from scratch and many authentic Honduran dishes. Our hosts Tania and Paul were so sweet, loving, and God-filled and I became part of a family I will never forget.
At the beginning of the second month of the mountain, we were able to have a Beauty for Ashes event one day with all the women we had been working with. I had the privilege to lead worship before one of the sessions, it is a moment I will always treasure in my heart. We also were able to give the women bibles and pray over them. A few days after that I was tested for COVID and it came back was positive. Little did we know this was the start of an outbreak of COVID on my squad. I was in quarantine for 11 days then started my travel to the states for a 24hr layover. The plan was for us to go to South Africa but we had issues with covid tests so we did not make our flight. Long story short one of the 17 people tested positive for COVID so we were put back into quarantine for 10 days in New Jersey. God is so faithful and we are now going to Romania, South Africa is now shutting down again.
In total, I spent 27 days in quarantine and two days of travel and we made it to Romania and hit the ground running. It was so sweet to get here and be able to do ministry right away. Our hosts are so amazing and have a heart for the people here in Craiova. I have realized that this is a country I did not know I needed, it has been restful and refueling to my heart. Our main ministry is evangelism to the people in the parks and outreach to Roma communities. I also was able to work with the kid’s ministry for a week and now floating between different ministries within the church. One week into our here we finally had debriefed and we got new teams to finish off the race with. I am excited to see how God uses us to bring his love and Joy to the world. I only have nine days left here in Romania then we will be heading to Albania. God is so faithful and knows exactly what we need and when. Most days I look back to when I first signed up for the race and what I expected it to look like, but God’s plan is so apparent and much better than what I expected in October 2019. I would have not thought I would be working in Romania and traveling during a pandemic. God’s plan is the best plan. I want to Thank you all for your support and prayers over this year. The ministry this month is Hope Church in Craiova, Romania, they are fairly new to this city and would love prayer. This part of Romania is known to be a graveyard to missionaries, also it is known as the capital for witchcraft. It is very dark but our God is so much stronger and brighter, so I ask for prayer for the missionaries here for strength and encouragement.
With love,
Lydia Strickland
