around the world in 80 days: last days in Taiwan...

hi there, it's me again :)

tomorrow is our last day here, then we're off to the philippines!

this past couple of weeks in taiwan has been really great. also one of the most stretching, challenging, and growing times for me. never in my life did i think i would preform for 4,000+ people in two weeks!

our schedule has been crazy. our busiest day we preformed at a school, then each of us taught 3 different english classes, and after that we had 3 more performances back to back. that's not including all the extra stuff we did, such as eating huge meals with new friends and visiting the principal's house!

we've grown a lot as a team, figuring out how to communicate and work together to show the love of God through our performances. we've ministered to many grade schools, a military school, a prison, a nursing school, a coffee shop, churches, and more. we were even on tv!

personally, this has been a time of stepping out of myself and learning to trust the Lord to be my strength. before now, i had never even given my testimony to a group larger than 30 people. now i'm speaking in front of hundreds. starting out i was scared out of my mind, but this has grown me even closer to Jesus because he is my comforter and he gives me the words to say. eating up the bible and praying is all that keeps me sane. now when i get up in front of a crowd, i'm excited to share because the joy of the Lord is my strength! i've found that sharing with kids is my favorite ministry. especially middle schoolers/early high schoolers. i remember exactly how it felt to be that age and my heart goes out to them. i want them to find their confidence and identity in Christ.

the other day we ministered at a youth group which had a lot of girls who are from broken homes. they're being kept at a shelter right now because living conditions at home are too bad. after the service, we had a time for prayer. i got to pray for a lot of them. it was amazing to see how, even though there's such a big language barrier, that means nothing to God. many of them were moved to tears through our prayers for them. it touched my heart to see some of the girls opening up and asking questions about God. i loved getting to share the heart of God with them and see their faces change when i told them about who he is and how much he cares about each of them.

it's been awesome seeing the Spirit move through us. we bring so much joy to crowds of people and i love watching it happen! my favorite time was the nursing school we went to. 600 energetic young women, ecstatic about us being there, all hanging on every word we spoke. they made me laugh so much. before going i was feeling a bit burnt out and tired, but they totally changed that for me. i get such a high off of feeling the energy of a crowd watching you preform. it's gooood! :)

yesterday was pretty hard for me. my best friend ever got married and it killed me not to be there. even though i was able to skype it (THANK GOD for skype....), it was an emotional day. i wanted more than anything to be home. it reminded me of the story in the bible when John the baptist was beheaded and Jesus wanted to be alone to morn, but instead he ministered to the people. that's what i had to do... thankfully Kaitie wasn't beheaded hahaha but it was one of the most important days of her life and i wanted to be there more than anything. God is good though, and his grace is powerful! he is the best comforter.

this experience here has been one i will remember forever, for sure.

tomorrow we enter a very different atmosphere and very different ministry. i'm excited. God has shown me some visions for the philippines and i'm looking forward to what he has planned for us there. looks like we'll be constantly surrounded by little children! :)

not sure if i'll have internet connection there...most likely not... but i'll update my blog again asap.

prayers are very appreciated for the next 3 weeks as we do the work the Lord has prepared for us in a new country.

thanks for reading, and thanks for supporting!

love and blessings!!!