It has been an official week of using port-a potties, sleeping in tents, having our phones taken away for 90% of the day, drinking lukewarm water, bucket showers, and washing our clothes by hand. Talk about being stripped down from American culture already… well, to a certain extent at least. Training camp is all part of getting us ready for the field. It’s designed to be a challenging and an intense experience where I and my teammates, and my entire launch window meet in Georgia to connect deeply with the Lord and each other before flying out to our first country. We are receiving training and activation in how we can live in greater intimacy with God, deeper connection in community, and a life dedicated to God’s mission for His people. Through teachings, prayer, scenarios, and relationship building, we are able to step out of fear and shame and into more relationship with the Father. SO EXCITING!!

 

The Good Shepherd

I’m so thankful that the Lord leads and teaches! One of the things the Lord was teaching me on the way up to Georgia was living with less. I had the hardest time trying to fit all my stuff into this “small” 65 L bag. It took a few tries, 2 more bags, and narrowing things down. I’ve been reading this book entitled “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. This one chapter that I was on called “simplicity” was so good. It was all building up to this line: “remember, the world is constantly asking, ‘how can I get more?’ but the apprentice of Jesus is regularly found asking, ‘how can I live with less?’” I knew what the Lord was saying….. “were the things you counted as necessary, really necessary or are they just comfort?” My brain immediately started thinking of things that I could’ve left behind: the shirt, the other shirt, the extra skin care things, the extra hair care things, etc.

(Picture on the left is my bag before I narrowed everything down)

I have been asking the Lord to really bring me to simplicity for a while now, to be completely stripped of everything and live for Him, whatever that may look like… SO HERE’S TO THE BEGINNING OF LIVING WITH LESS TO ENTER INTO SIMPLICITY! ◡̈ To lead a cheerful and happy revolt against the spirit of materialism, learning how to work from a place of rest, and living life with an unhurried soul, to slow down enough to stare into His eyes of fire.

Another thing the Lord has been teaching me is HUMILITY. Wow, so hard but SO GOOD. He has slowly started to reveal that part of me is still on the throne of my heart. That there is one area of my life that I’m gripping on for dear life: comfortability. Good news: NONE OF THIS IS ABOUT ME!! WOHOO! He’s is inviting me to partner with Him. I’m the vessel, He does all the work so the pressure is off!! He’s more beautiful when we aren’t looking at ourselves. Our natural posture is to look inward, but if we could just lift our heads to look and behold, be in wonder before Him, imagine what He could do if we said yes to His invitation to partner with Him. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20)

1 John 4:17 “As He is, so are we in this world”

 

                                    Community

The community here is so beautiful and refreshing!! Just from the first two and a half weeks, it’s amazing to hear the testimonies of what the Lord has been working on behind the curtains of people’s lives, the things that we can’t see. God is literally wrecking our hearts and touching things that we need to lay down. I have seen so much shame be lifted off, forgiveness flooding hearts, and transformation beginning to happen in my teammates. I cannot even fathom that we have only been here for 2 weeks and we have already grown so much. Lots of our growth happens in our squad times and team building practices. Squad times are when ALL 43 of us are together discussing what we learned in session, being vulnerable and talking through our thoughts or answering any questions we may have.

 

Teams

Teams are our little groups of 7 that we have for our ministry time. Before we came, the World Race leaders really prayed about who needs to be in what group and with what leader. I will introduce my team soon on the blog!

We have these things called “team builders.” That’s when we are given a task to complete as a team, or simply getting to know each other and being vulnerable to build our trust with each other, our love, and to build a better bond. Some team tasks may include being blindfolded and allowing the other people to help guide you in completing it. Unity is very important to the Father and in the body of Christ. This is where we begin to see this happen!

Our first task was to stand on the towel and try to flip the towel over without touching the floor (seen in the picture above). Some of us were blindfolded, some of us couldn’t speak, etc.

The second task was to lower the hula hoop all the way on the ground with two fingers without it falling. TEAM WORK!

 

The Food Pantry

This week we did local ministry! Each one of our teams from my squad did different things. My team spent two days at the food pantry, sorting out food and helping pass out food to the people who came which was a LOT. Our team had different roles to play. I was the one able to bring carts back to fill them up with food and pray over people! Other people had to load up food on the carts, check in people, help unload food into people’s cars, etc.

I got the chance to pray over Stephanie, Stephanie, and Dalton and encouraged them in their despair and in their struggles. So powerful! I also met this woman, Iris, with back pain and got the chance to pray over her. After I prayed with her, 10 minutes later a woman came up to me and told me she saw me praying over Iris’s back pain and wondered if I could pray for her knee and arthritis! I did and she said she felt relieved. The lady next to her, Joye, was in a scooter and told me she hasn’t been able to walk in 2 years because of some disease that had taken over part of her legs and her diabetes. She wanted me to pray over her and so I did! After I was done, she was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit’s presence. With wide eyes and a little bit speechless, she said “Whatever you have, it went on to me!” Such a beautiful moment. I prayed some more and I’m believing in faith the Lord has healed her and has enabled her to walk again! I talked with and prayed over so many people that day, I felt so drained after that. But the Lord fills and overflows my cup! He says that He will guide me continually, giving me water wen I am dry and restoring my strength. I will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever flowing spring!

The next day for ministry, my team ended up staying at the base to cook dinner for both X Squad and W Squad, the last two squads still in training camp!

 

Beauty for Ashes

There are 6 roles in each team. We have worship coordinators, logistics, hospitality, treasurer, storyteller (which is my role) and beauty for ashes. Beauty for Ashes is a women’s ministry that is lead by some of our teammates. On September 28th was the first one and it was so beautiful! We had worship, some testimonies shared, a vulnerable activity where we had to write down lies that we believed about ourselves, share them, and them combat them with the truth. My group was super vulnerable about their past, the lies they have believed, what they are currently feeling and where they are currently at. I have been in multiple friendships where we both have been vulnerable with one another. But something was so different about this time. Maybe it was the people, the situation, the circumstance, the topic. Who knows, but the Spirit of the Lord was there, and where His spirit is, there is freedom. One of the lies about myself was that I was unseen and unclean from my past of sexual sin. This is something that I hadn’t been able to talk about with people because I was ashamed, and afraid that their view of me would change. This girl who always did her homework on time, never used a homework pass because it was an easy 100 anyway, the perfectionists, the joyful “innocent, goodie-two-shoes’ reputation” would be ruined. She would be tossed aside and be replaced with “dirty”. This night, the Lord really made everything new for me. We read the passage from Luke 7 where Jesus was anointed by a sinful woman. In the story, when the Lord was sitting at the table and she poured out the perfume on His feet, she was dirty, and overlooked by the disciples. But Jesus TURNED AND LOOKED AT HER. He said “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven…. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” At this moment, when the Lord showed me that I was that woman, dirty, sitting at His feet, overlooked by everyone, searching for forgiveness. He looked directly at me, and cleansed me of my unrighteousness, my uncleanliness. He washes MY feet daily, still saying “you’re clean”. I broke down in tears. It’s the first time I felt clean, forgiven, redeemed, SEEN.

The next activity we had brought this to life… the washing of our feet. The leader of my group, Aubrey, washed and anointed our feet with oil. I cried even more. I could literally see Jesus sitting there, washing my feet, washing me from my uncleanliness. Now for the first time, I can finally say AND believe that I am clean. Hallelujah.

A Profession of Faith

Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Oh what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin!!

You are called to be in communion and in relationship with the Father, to have eternal life. It’s what He wants! The word of God says the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but He has come so that we may have life and have it in ABUNDANCE! It is promised that when you give Him your life, you are now a new creation in Him. The old has passed and the new is here. In other words, you are NOT who you were! You have a new identity! You then are able put on the new nature He has given you, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

All you have to do is turn away from your sins and turn towards Jesus, and trust that He took the penalty for your sins. This allows the blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross for you, to be washed over you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. He completely REMOVES your sin and His holy spirit comes to dwell in you. Your soul is then snatched from hell and placed into the Father’s hand where it cannot be taken out of.

You are called to have eternal life not eternal condemnation! To have eternal life is to know the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus. You are called to know the one who created you and this can only happen by the Blood of the Lamb! He has already torn down the veil that separated us from him and has made a way for him and his children to be united again!!

So now that you have heard the Good News, my question for you is how will you respond?

If you have any questions, please email me @[email protected] and I would LOVE to try to answer them!

 

A Call to Action

1 Chronicles 29:14 says “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You what only comes from Your hand.” This confirms where all the resources come from. I believe He has appointed certain people to come alongside me, pray with me, and donate towards this mission for the Gospel. My calling, my ministry, the person I am asking, their assets, everything is all His. I am simply a mediator seeking to connect His people and His resources with His plan.

I am currently $220 away from reaching my next deadline on October 15th! After that I will have 4 more deadlines on the 15th of each month ending in February. For each deadline I will have to raise $1,640.

I am asking you to take action and pray to see where the Lord leads! Partnership is so beautiful in the kingdom of God. Would you consider praying about making a one time or monthly donation to me as I partner with Jesus to reach the people who are lost? Our obedience increases the capacity at which the Spirit of God moves!

If He leads you to give, you can do so by the link in my Instagram and Facebook bio, through Venmo @Lexi-Blatt, or you can click this link

https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/2023-world-race-gap-year-route-3/participants/lexiblatt

I am extremely grateful for all of your prayers and donations. I would not have been able to the reach the people I did if it wasn’t for you. THANK YOU THANK YOU.

“When you give to a ministry, you not only bless the people that are being touched by that ministry, but you start a supernatural flow of your finances, and you partake of the anointing and the blessing that’s on that minister’s life” -Andrew Womack

 

What Are We Doing Next?

So the girls from my whole squad is going to Florida for a week. We will be doing disaster relief ministry! We leave Sunday October 1st at 7:00 AM. We will be driving for 9 hours. PHEW. While we are in Florida, the guys will be in Kentucky doing other ministries for a week. We will then come back together for a week of debrief, then leave for CAMBODIA on the 14th! PRAYERS ARE SO SO APPRECIATED!

Until next blog,

I love you I love you!

Lexi B