Life seems unreal!

Over the past seven weeks, I've grown comfortable living in Thessaloniki, Greece, learning the lifestyle, culture, and area. And now, all of a sudden, after a 30-hour bus ride through Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, I find myself sitting in a beautiful hostel in Budapest, Hungary, admiring the gorgeous fall scenery around me!

It is crazy to believe that our ministry in Greece has officially ended and we are beginning our first debrief, stopping in Budapest on our way to Prague. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure what to feel. There were certainly some difficult moments during our time in Thessaloniki, but there were also moments of incredible growth, bonding with my team, and seeing God work in such wonderful ways! I'm so grateful for my time in Greece, and I want to share a little bit about some of my final ministry days before we left.

During our final days, my squad leader was able to connect with a refugee center in the city and ask if they needed volunteers for a couple of days. They gladly invited us to help, and those two days turned out to be such an experience!

We were able to help hand out food, sort and distribute clothing, and build connections with people and children from Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, and several other places. It was so meaningful to have the opportunity to help meet people's physical needs during such a difficult and desperate time in their lives. But even more than that, we got to listen to their stories, build relationships, and simply be present with them as we sought to show them the love and hope of Jesus.

Having this opportunity reminded me of God's compassionate heart and His desire for us to love and serve everyone, regardless of where they come from or what their circumstances might be. We see this heart reflected in Zechariah 7:9-10, which says:

"This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other."

God has such a heart for those who are vulnerable, hurting, poor, or far from home. And we had the opportunity to be His hands and feet that day by caring for people, giving what we could, and genuinely loving on them!

It was such a great reminder that we are called to love everyone, be genuine with each person we meet, and never be quick to judge someone because we have no idea what they have experienced or what they might be walking through. Sometimes, loving someone well simply means taking the time to listen, showing kindness, and being willing to meet a need when you see one. What a privilege it is that the Lord allows us to be part of showing His love to others in such practical ways!

The other story I wanted to share from Greece happened quite unexpectedly and is such a beautiful reminder of how sovereign God is and how His plans will be accomplished regardless of what we might have planned for our day.

My squad was sitting in the coffee shop our ministry hosts use, listening to a teaching. We were getting ready to head out onto the streets for another day of evangelism when suddenly, a girl stopped to read the sign we had placed in the window. It welcomed people into the shop for a conversation about God over coffee.

She courageously walked into the coffee shop, surrounded by 26 Americans and four Romanians, and was immediately welcomed in! I stepped into the conversation, began getting to know her, and asked if she would like to sit down, have a real conversation, and share a cup of coffee. She said she didn't have anything else to do and would gladly join us.

So, one of my squadmates and I began getting to know her by asking how her day was going. She told us that it had been a terrible day, with one bad thing after another happening. She had been casually walking down the street, feeling frustrated about everything that was going on, when she happened to glance over and see the sign in the coffee shop window. She decided to stop in because she really wanted someone to talk to about everything she was experiencing.

And instantly, we knew that God had placed this woman on this particular street, in front of this particular coffee shop, for a very specific reason. We told her that it was no coincidence that she had seen the sign and felt led to walk inside. And she agreed!

We soon found out that she was from Egypt and was currently living in Thessaloniki while studying for her master's degree in psychology. She had only been living in the city for a week, so she hadn't had much time to build friendships or connections with anyone yet. So, over the next three and a half hours, we got to learn more about her, share God's truth with her, encourage her, and simply love her well!

We also invited her to a pizza party we were having on our final ministry day, hoping the Lord would use that as another opportunity to pour into her life. And wouldn't you know it, the Lord more than showed up and provided! She came to the pizza party and even brought several friends with her! We got to spend more time with her, building our relationship and getting to know her even better. Now that we have left Greece, we are praying that the Lord continues to work in her life, reveals Himself to her in new ways, and draws her into an intentional relationship with Him.

What a reminder that God is always working, even when we don't know it! We had absolutely no idea that this conversation would happen when we walked into that coffee shop that afternoon. We were simply preparing to go out and evangelize, and God placed someone right in front of us who needed someone to talk to.

It reminds me that we don't always have to know exactly what God is doing or how He plans to use us. Sometimes, we just need to be willing to stop, listen, and respond when He places an opportunity in front of us. And I am so grateful that He allowed us to be part of this woman's story, even if it was only for a short time!

But as I've been sitting here during debrief, reflecting on Greece and my time spent on the Race, I've also been realizing something else. I have a hunger and a fire for the Lord that I never knew I had.

I am starving for God's wisdom, truth, and understanding through His Word. Every day, I want to start my morning sitting with Him, praying, and genuinely delighting in, dwelling in, and enjoying my time reading Scripture. I want to become so consumed by His presence that I lose track of time and everything else around me.

I desire for the Holy Spirit to work in and through me in ways I never thought were possible. I want to pray for people, even when they haven't told me exactly what they need. I want to grow in hearing the Lord's voice, encouraging people with the truths He places on my heart, and speaking words of truth and life into the situations they are facing. I want to become so in tune with the Holy Spirit that when He prompts me to do something, I can't help but respond in obedience.

I want to live so deeply rooted in the Lord's love and delight for me that I never forget how fully known, loved, and cared for I am. I want that love to overflow from my heart because I am so filled by Him that I cannot help but share it with others.

I want to spend more time worshiping, praising, and rejoicing in Him. I want never-ending praise to flow from my mouth! I want everything I say, do, and think to point to Jesus Christ and Him alone.

Every part of my soul feels like it has been set aflame by a fire that only the Lord can give, and I want that fire to continue burning in me always. I want to be so on fire for the Lord that when I meet new people, encourage my squad mates and Christian community, or return home, that same fire begins to catch in the hearts of others!

I want the rest of my life to be marked by one central desire: to be in the presence of God and live for Him every single day. Psalm 27:4 says:

"The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple."

And honestly, that is exactly what I want! I want the Lord to be the one thing I seek most. I want to continually desire more time with Him, more time living for Him, and more time pursuing Him above everything else.

As I'm writing these words, I'm listening to music, and the song that just happened to come on is First by Lauren Daigle. And it has become such a beautiful prayer for what I want my life to look like! If you haven't heard it, I would encourage you to go listen to it. The message is all about seeking the Lord first, bringing our hearts to Him before anything else, and choosing to put Him above every other desire.

That is my prayer right now. I don't want the Lord to simply be another part of my day or someone I turn to when I need help. I want Him to be FIRST. Before my plans, before my conversations, before my worries, before my desires, and before anything else I might be tempted to prioritize.

And I want to encourage each of you to begin seeking the Lord first in this way, too!

What would it look like to spend less time trying to figure out your day and more time delighting in the Lord before you do anything else? What would change if you began each morning by sitting with Him, bringing your heart before Him, and allowing His Word to shape your thoughts and desires?

He is all we need, and He is so, so good to provide for us in every way. He is above it all, He knows it all, and He holds it all. We don't have to spend our lives chasing after things that we think will satisfy us when the One who created us is inviting us into a relationship with Him!

Through my time in Greece and now during debrief in Budapest, I've been realizing more and more that intimacy with the Lord and having a genuine relationship with Him is the most important thing I will ever have in my life. No other person, possession, accomplishment, or experience on this earth can satisfy and fulfill me the way the Lord does.

Jesus explains this so beautifully when He is speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:13-14:

"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.'"

I love this picture of Jesus being living water! Everything else in this world will eventually leave us wanting more. We can spend so much time searching for fulfillment in relationships, experiences, accomplishments, possessions, and even our own plans, only to realize that none of those things can truly satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts.

But Jesus can.

He is the One who quenches every thirst, satisfies every longing, and continually draws us closer to Him. And the beautiful thing is that the more we come to know Him, the more we desire to know Him! I am so grateful that I don't have to keep searching for something to fill the empty spaces in my heart. I have Jesus, and He is more than enough. He is my portion. He is my fountain forever. And I pray that He is becoming more and more of that for every single one of you, too!

I don't want this hunger for the Lord to fade as I move into another country, another ministry, or eventually return home. I don't want my excitement about pursuing Him to depend on the people around me, the experiences I'm having, or the environment I'm living in. I want this to become the way I live my entire life! I want to keep seeking Him when ministry is exciting and when it is difficult. I want to keep opening His Word when I'm traveling, when I'm tired, when I'm busy, and when life feels ordinary. I want to keep listening for His voice and responding in obedience, even when I don't know what will come from it.

Ultimately, I want to know Jesus more deeply every single day and allow that relationship to shape everything else about my life.

And I know I still have so much to learn. I know there will be days when I struggle, days when I become distracted, and days when I don't feel this same excitement. But I don't want those moments to keep me from continually pursuing Him. I want to keep returning to the One who satisfies me, trusting that He is faithful to meet me there.

Praise the Lord for being so good, so loving, and so worthy of our pursuit!

Thank you so much for reading this! I know I say that in every one of my blogs, but it is genuinely so encouraging to know that people back home and in my community want to hear about the Lord moving across the world and changing my heart! Thank you for taking time out of your busy days to read these updates. It means more than you will ever know, and your encouragement helps me continue through even the more difficult days of the Race!

I also ask that you would continue partnering with me through prayer. Here are some specific things you can be praying for:

• That our squad would experience great rest and relaxation during our week of debrief in Budapest and that this time would strengthen us for our upcoming ministry in Prague. Pray that we would be intentional about spending time with the Lord and continue growing closer to Him.

• That the Lord would continue revealing Himself to me in new ways through His Word, His voice, His presence, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

• That I would become more in tune with the Holy Spirit and grow in confidence as I obey whatever He asks of me.

• That the ministries we partner with in Prague would be encouraged, strengthened, and blessed through our time serving alongside them.

• That my eyes would be open to the ways God is speaking to me, that I would recognize the growth He has already produced in my heart, and that I would continue allowing Him to challenge me to become more like Christ.

• That we would make an eternal impact for God's Kingdom during our short time in Prague.

I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for this next country! It is crazy to think that we have already completed our first country and are preparing to begin another. I know there is still so much He wants to teach me, so many ways He wants to grow me, and so many opportunities He will place in front of us to love and serve others.

I want to continue saying yes to those opportunities, trusting Him with the outcomes, and allowing His love to overflow into the lives of everyone I meet. Most importantly, I want to keep seeking Him first.

I pray that my heart would never grow tired of pursuing Him, that my hunger for His Word would never fade, and that the fire He has placed within me would continue burning brighter as I grow closer to Him.

And I hope the same becomes true for each of you!

May we never become so distracted by the things of this world that we forget the One who satisfies our every need. May we continually seek His presence, delight in His goodness, and allow our love for Him to overflow into the lives of those around us.

He is so worthy of our time, our attention, our worship, and our whole lives.

Let's keep seeking Him FIRST!