Today marks three months on the Race, which means we only have six months left! That is crazy to think about because it feels like just yesterday we were arriving at our first day of training camp.

I can't believe I've already lived in Greece for almost two months, gotten to see and step foot in Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, visited Hungary for a week, and now will live in the Czech Republic for two weeks. And throughout every country I've visited and stayed in, God has met me in incredible and different ways!

This has reminded me once again just how amazingly God works and how good He truly is! I want to express my gratitude to the Lord as much as possible and praise Him nonstop, regardless of where I am, what I'm doing, or what circumstances I might be facing.

And one new way I've learned to do this was during our debrief time in Budapest, Hungary. During debrief, we learned about different ways to worship God that don't involve music. This was a whole new concept to me because, for as long as I can remember, I've always associated worship with singing songs to the Lord. But I've come to realize that there are so many different ways we can worship Him that don't involve music at all!

One of the ways that really stuck out to me was writing a psalm or love letter to the Lord. I think this is such a beautiful and intimate way to bring honor, glory, and praise to God. It allows us to slow down, reflect on who He is, recognize His goodness, and express our love and gratitude for Him in a personal way.

So, I decided to write a psalm of praise to the Lord, and I wanted to share it with all of you!

Holy & Mighty God,

You are such a good and righteous Father, knowing our innermost being better than we do.

Praise be to You alone!

You are beautiful and majestic, more precious than diamonds or gold.

Praise be to You alone!

You are my Creator and Sustainer, who satisfies me every single day.

Praise be to You alone!

You are love, wholly and completely.

Praise be to You alone!

You are greater than all mankind, and no power or authority in this world can stop You.

Praise be to You alone!

You are my great Comforter, showing me compassion and gentleness like no other.

Praise be to You alone!

You have wiped away every sin through Your Son's sacrifice.

Praise be to You alone!

You have declared me clean, whole, pure, and righteous, making me a co-heir with Christ.

Praise be to You alone!

You are my Dad, who never runs, leaves, or abandons me, always welcoming me home with open arms.

Praise be to You alone!

You are the One True I AM, who holds all authority and orchestrates things according to Your divine plan.

Praise be to You alone!

You forgive and forget, never holding our trespasses against us when we surrender to You.

Praise be to You alone!

You are steadfast and faithful, remaining close to me even when I mess up.

Praise be to You alone!

You are just and fair, ruling over all the heavens and earth with Your perfect hand.

Praise be to You alone!

You are holy, holy, holy, perfect in each and every way.

Praise be to You alone!

You are my portion and fountain, teaching me to depend on You wholeheartedly.

Praise be to You alone!

You are the Triune God, perfect unity between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Praise be to You alone!

You are wise and intelligent, knowing every perfect road and decision for us.

Praise be to You alone!

You are a great refuge and rock, protecting and keeping me safe from every attack from the devil.

Praise be to You alone!

You are my strength and joy, refilling my cup daily with who You are.

Praise be to You alone!

You are so patient and slow to grow angry, always wanting to bless us.

Praise be to You alone!

You are the ONE TRUE GOD, the Most High. Nobody compares to You, and nobody deserves all the glory, honor, and praise but You!

Praise be to You alone!

What a beautiful reminder of who our God is!

This little psalm truly expresses just how many wonderful characteristics God has and reminds me of how worthy He is of our continual praise! Writing it was an act of worship in itself, but now I get to go back and read it to Him again and again, reminding myself of His goodness and choosing to rejoice in Him alone.

I think sometimes we can become so focused on asking God for things, bringing Him our worries, or praying about the circumstances we're facing that we forget to simply stop and praise Him for WHO HE IS. Not necessarily for what He has done for us, what He has provided, or what He might do in the future, but simply because He is God. He is holy, righteous, loving, faithful, sovereign, and worthy of every bit of our praise!

And the beautiful thing is that none of those characteristics change depending on our circumstances. God is just as good when life is exciting as He is when life feels difficult. He is just as faithful when we understand what He's doing as He is when we have absolutely no idea what's going on.

I want to become someone who praises the Lord continually, not just when things are going well or when I feel especially close to Him. I want my heart to overflow with gratitude and worship even when I'm struggling, feeling homesick, or not understanding why God has me in a certain season. I want to keep finding new ways to express my love for Him, to delight in who He is, and to remind myself of His goodness throughout every single day!

And I want to encourage each of you to do the same! Find ways that you genuinely enjoy worshiping the Lord that don't always involve music. There are so many different ways to bring Him honor and glory throughout your day. Writing psalms, love letters, or even praying the psalms from the Bible back to God are just a few ways I've learned to worship Him differently.

What would it look like to spend a little time simply writing down the characteristics of God that you love most? What would happen if you started your morning by praising Him for who He is before bringing Him all the things you need?

I think there is something so beautiful about intentionally shifting our focus away from ourselves and onto the One who deserves it all! He is so worthy of our praise, and I never want to become so distracted by my circumstances that I forget to give Him the glory He deserves.

As Psalm 34:1 says:

"I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises."

That is the kind of heart I want to have! A heart that continually praises the Lord, regardless of what life looks like around me.

I know this was a shorter blog, but I've been fairly busy here in Prague, so I will try to give you more of an update about our ministry in the Czech Republic next week!

Thank you so much for continuing to follow along with me, read these updates, and partner with me through prayer. It genuinely means so much to know that I have people back home who are interested in what the Lord is doing across the world and how He is continuing to work in my heart!

I would especially appreciate your prayers for these specific things:

• That our squad would hear God's voice clearly and have discernment through the Holy Spirit as we navigate ministry opportunities here in Prague.

• That God would help me through this season of feeling homesick again, especially as I've now been physically away from my family for three months.

• That we would remain present here in the Czech Republic, focusing on the people God has placed in front of us and understanding that ministry can look different every single day.

• That I would continue to serve obediently, remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and prioritize sitting at the feet of Jesus every day.

• That our upcoming travels to Thailand would go smoothly and that the Lord would have His hand of protection over our entire squad.

I am so excited to see what else the Lord has in store for these next six months! It is crazy to think that we are already three months into this journey, with so many more countries, experiences, and opportunities ahead of us.

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 me to love and serve others. But above all, I want to keep growing in my relationship with Him. I want to keep pursuing Him, delighting in His presence, and allowing my love for Him to overflow into everything I do. And I want to keep praising Him through it all!

May we never allow our circumstances to determine how much praise we give to the Lord. May we never become so focused on what we want Him to do that we forget to worship Him for who He already is.

He is our Creator, Sustainer, Comforter, Father, Savior, Refuge, and King. He is holy, He is mighty, He is faithful, and He is good!

Praise be to You alone, Lord!