It has been quite some time since my last blog post. In all honesty, these past few months have been so filled with deep, beautiful memories and major challenges that have in many ways left me without many words to share, or more precisely, without the knowledge of how to share them. Odd for a wordsmith, I know.
But in processing how the Lord is moving and what all He’s doing in my life and the lives of those around me, I find that I have the tendency to only be able to express myself with words after I’ve walked through a season, rather than while I’m in the middle of one. On the Race specifically, writing publicly has been a struggle I certainly didn’t anticipate going into this 9 months ago. Perhaps my greatest weakness is the need to polish, to perfect, to trim the edges of each paragraph until the words suit my perfectionist ears. Even the things that bleed outside of the wide range of my emotions on the Race are difficult to explain each month. The incredible ministries we’ve gotten to serve alongside, the really difficult slow months, filled with both tears and laughter, the ways I’ve seen God move, and the ways I’m still asking Him to…
These last 9 months have been a battlefield of mind, body, spirit, and soul. It has been one of the greatest and hardest experiences of my life. But outside of myself, I have met some of the most incredible examples of Jesus’ heart on this journey. I have seen children find joy and laughter in some of the most heart-wrenching degrees of poverty I’ve ever witnessed. I have seen elderly people speak on the hardships of their life journey, growing up amidst former worlds of communism and restlessness and living to tell their story today. I have walked the streets of the wealthy and the streets of the impoverished and recognized that there a very few differences between the two. I have endless memories to share here. And I want to share as many as time permits. So, for those of you reading, I’m ready now to express the narrative of this life on the missions field in a way I wasn’t prepared to do in the past.
I will be writing a blog series titled: “The Former Things”, catching you up on this journey I’ve been through, sharing stories I’ve both heard and experienced. Thank you all for your patience and grace as I’ve waited until this moment to pour out all that the Lord has been pouring in.
“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” Isaiah 42:9
And in the same vein of updating…I’m on my way to AFRICA!!! As I leave the beautiful country of Romania after two and a half months of ministry here, it is a bittersweet departure. After spending such a long stretch in one place, it is difficult to say goodbye to a piece of home in my heart, but I am beyond excited to venture into a new culture, language, continent, and people group. I cannot wait to see what all the Lord does in this season, and even more so, I can’t wait to share it with everyone following my journey.
If you’re not already subscribed to my blog, you can message me your email and you will have access to all of the updates from the field coming soon!
Please continue to pray for our squad as we spend the next few days traveling and preparing to serve in a new region and ministry. Thank you all for your love and support!
You Are Loved,
Aliseya
I understand how putting your written words out into the world can feel a lot like opening your heart for the world to see and examine—and I so appreciate your honesty and vulnerability. Your heart and your words are beautiful. I especially loved reading this: “Outside of myself, I have met some of the most incredible examples of Jesus’ heart on this journey.” I’m praying for more revelation of His heart and His care in your journey. Love you!
It is so hard to put all of this into words, and I am so proud of you for the vulnerability you’ve begun to walk in. Thank you for sharing your passion for writing, but even more your heart and what the Lord has shown you.
Aliseya… You know how much I love reading everything you write, and this blog post was no exception. Some things deserve to be communicated without “polish” (read the Psalms!). Other things only poetry and art can start to communicate (like “The Pursuit” from last November). I’m so looking forward to “The Former Things.” Thanks for sharing vulnerably so the rest of us can grow from it.
Proud of you for persevering in sharing what God is doing in and through you. And can’t WAIT to see what He continues to do in AFRICA!! 🙂