Going on an 11-month mission trip around the world seems crazy to most! Many of my teammates were worried about the amount of money they had to fundraise, about traveling to 11 different countries, about living and doing ministry with 20+ people 24/7, and about leaving their family and friends back home. To be honest, none of that really worried me. What I was most nervous, yet excited about was how God was going to challenge me to get out of my comfort zone. And I can sit here and tell you that the past four months have been a rollercoaster of how God pushed me outside of my comfort zone.
As the only Hispanic on my squad and only 1 of 4 that spoke Spanish, I knew I was going to have to leverage my Spanish skills to help my team get around in South America. While I grew up speaking Spanish since I was born, I have never taken a formal Spanish class. Therefore, I never have considered my Spanish to be the best, because of my grammar and limited vocabulary. So, when I signed up for the World Race, I specifically wrote in my application that I was fluent in conversational Spanish, but not fluent enough or definitely comfortable enough to translate sermons or anything to that extent. HA, but God had other plans! God did not care about the fluency of my Spanish, nor did he care if I was comfortable translating or not. He wanted to stretch me and take me out of my comfort zone and have me fully rely on Him. I officially became my team’s translator and everywhere we went I was always translating English to Spanish or vice versa. I translated sermons at church services, kids Sunday school lessons, youth group services, prayers, small conversations and much more.
I am not going to lie, during our first month, being the only fluent translator on my team felt terrifying and exhausting! I had to be present in every conversation so that I can fully understand what was going on and be able to translate, which in turn made me physically and mentally exhausted at times. But in the midst of that exhaustion, I realized that I had to rely on God and not on my own strength. It would have been more difficult to connect with the people that we encountered if I did not step up and help my team with translation. After spending 2 months in Peru, translating became a way of life and I learned to embrace it. Now that I am in Africa, I miss speaking Spanish 24/7.
I remember, while I became comfortable speaking Spanish 24/7 and translating, I still had hesitation with praying for people in Spanish. I mentioned this to my team and God revealed to me that translating is not really about me, but about the person, I am translating to. There is something beautiful for us to be able to pray for someone in their own language and for them to understand it. I am beyond grateful that God was able to use me and my Spanish to serve my team, the ministry, and the community around us.
Upon arriving in Mendoza, Argentina for our 3rd month, I was really excited to hear that we were partnering with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) and that we specifically were going to be working with their soccer ministry. I had never played soccer in my life and was terrified; I don’t consider myself as the most athletic person when it comes to organized sports. I was so intimidated at the thought that we were going to be working with their soccer ministry, so I asked one of my teammates to teach me a little something. However, we never got around to it, and our first soccer event with the kids in the neighborhood was upon us. I did not end up playing that day (Phew!) and instead hung out with the kids that did not want to play. Shortly after, our team went on a 4-day trip to a nearby town, San Martin, to lead a youth group event, preach at their church, among other things. Not to my surprise, prior to the youth group event the first night, we started playing soccer at the church. SOCCER IS A BIG DEAL IN ARGENTINA! Everyone is always playing soccer somewhere. So, I had to jump in! I was terrified and felt self-conscious because I had no idea what I was doing, but I rolled with it. I started playing offensive and every ball that was passed to me, I missed, which made me even more self-conscious. After a few tries, I started falling back and ended up playing defense. I realized that I was MUCH better at defense and was able to build up my confidence back up. The rest of the weekend, we played soccer almost every day, at the church or at the nearby park. While, yes, soccer was fun, we used this opportunity to minister to the youth. Without soccer, we would have never had an easier opportunity to pray for the random kids at the park and share with them the love of Jesus. It is amazing, how God can use anything and anyone to share his word and love.
Upon arriving in Togo, Africa for our 4th month, I knew that I wanted to be stretched and challenged in the area of preaching. Up until this point, I have not preached a sermon of my own, but I did translate many of my teammate’s sermons in the past 3 months, while in South America. After getting settled into Lomé, Togo, we learned that we were going to be preaching and teaching at the bible school the entire month. Woohoo! My opportunity is here! Yes, I was a bit nervous, but just like God did it every other month, He gave me the courage and words to speak at multiple churches this month.
Over the last 4 months, I learned that even if you think you have something little to offer, God can use it and make it even bigger! All you need is a yes spirit and allow God to use you! “If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in the large ones.” – Luke 16:10
Love,
Ana
