Hello Beautiful Family & Friends!
It has been a long time since I’ve last written a blog and given you all an update. So here it is!
Earlier this year, in January, my squad and I finally arrived in West Africa! We spent a month in Togo and a month in Ghana, later arriving in Cote D’Ivoire. Just two weeks after arriving in Cote D’Ivoire, we were given the news that we were all being sent home because of COVID-19. I was completely shocked! Having to come back home so abruptly filled me with so many mixed emotions. I was not ready to come home. Especially, after witnessing 17 people come to Christ, just that morning before we received the news, I felt like I needed to stay. I needed to continue the mission of spreading the gospel and sharing God’s love with people around the world. To be honest, I contemplated dropping out of the World Race and staying in Africa on my own. But after talking to two of my mentors back home they both gave me a different perspective and convinced me that coming home would be a prudent decision at that time. (Thank God for community!)
Within 24 hours, on March 14th, I was on a plane with my squad, heading back to the US. I arrived in Miami and a few days later quarantine/lockdown began. While I was stuck in the house, I took that opportunity to reflect and process everything I had learned and experienced on the race. I also used the last 6 months to strengthen my relationship with the Lord as I continue to learn how to discern his voice. It has been a sweet season, to say the least.
My initial expectation, after arriving home, was to redeploy out to the mission field, with the World Race, later this year, but unfortunately, Adventures in Mission has recently decided that there will not be any international travel until the earliest Jan 2021. When I heard the news, I was kind of annoyed, to be honest. I thought to myself, I’ve already waited and placed “my life on hold” for 6 months, I don’t know if I can wait another 4-6 more months. Immediately, the Lord convicted me that I was somewhat idolizing the World Race. (Ouch!) He revealed to me that I needed to move on, I do not need the World Race to do something meaningful, because He and I were enough. He is so right! We all can continue to share his Love and Word, right here in our own communities, families, and jobs. I don’t need to be on a mission field to do that. For this reason, I have decided NOT to redeploy on the World Race. While I was on the race, I was really impacted by the women’s ministry that we’ve hosted/participated in. Therefore, I have decided to use the remaining funds that were fundraised to pursue my passion for women’s ministry. I will first be attending a Women’s Ministry Training in November 2020, called Beauty for Ashes, that is hosted by Adventures in Missions. I will then sign up for a Women’s Mission Trip with Adventures in Mission sometime next year in 2021, once Covid-19 travel restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, I have been updating my resume and have been praying about the next steps, as I begin to re-enter the job market search. I would appreciate it if you would continue to partner with me in prayer for God to provide me wisdom on where He wants to lead me and my career.
I really want to thank you all for your prayers and support you’ve given me over the past year. I pray that everyone is doing well, during these unprecedented times. If you are in need of specific prayer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly or leave a comment below.
Much Love,
Ana Marmolejo
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