Sunrise to Sunset:

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!" (Psalm 113:3)

My heart is bursting. I can feel the face of God shining down on me and I am so incredibly blessed! In the last month, God has revealed so much to me. I have now come to realize just how foundational for my faith this Gap Year has been. God has been reminding me just how valued I am in His eyes. He has showed me that most of my life I have been building what I think about myself and God on lies from the devil. In Jesus name He is breaking those lies down!! He is replacing my old wine skins with new ones (Luke 5:37-39). Jesus is bringing new wine!! He has showed me that even on the hard days with the struggle against my own flesh and emotions, that I have been "working out my salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12-13)! I have seen countless sunrises and sunsets this year and they continue to remind me of God's unending beauty and His faithfulness and love He pours out on me daily.

God has also been teaching me in 2023 to be a prayer warrior. I want to grow in boldness and eagerness to enter the throne room. I am learning how rewarding consistent prayer can be.

Here is a month and a half recap in pictures:

As you can see, we have been up to a lot! Everyday here is new and interesting. It is such an exciting adventure for me and I couldn't love this place more. Honestly it feels like a second home to me and I definitely want to come back in the future. We have learned a lot about Egyptian culture and history, participated in many sports camps with the kids, eaten delicious food, learned a lot about the Bible and prayer, and did some extra fun adventuring as well. Sadly, we only have two more weeks left before we head to our last location, Tanzania. I can't believe how fast this year is going. It has been such a fun time.

Above is how our Christmas and New years week went! We attended a Christmas eve service at our church that we absolutely love. We enjoyed extra rest time as a team and it was so sweet! Then, a week into January, Jill (our Gap Year Director) flew in and joined us! It was so sweet to have her here and we enjoyed our Mid-Year retreat and reflection time.

We did so much on our Mid-Year and it was the best time!! First, Jill joined us in our ministry here in Cairo and we also got to visit some historical sites and Kayak on the Nile River. Then, we did ministry with some beautiful Sudanese people by hosting a fun day camp for them and painting their school. It was SO FUN to get to know these people who are made in God's image and become friends with them. On the 15th of January, we headed up to Alexandria for a day! We saw the Mediterranean sea, visited a museum, saw a citadel, and enjoyed time as a team. For the rest of the week, we headed over to Sharm el-Sheikh which is located at the bottom of the Sinai desert (the triangle part of Egypt). It was the best time ever and we got to experience so much beauty!! God really met us in His Word this week and we were able to experience some awesome Spiritual rest and revival as a team. The highlights were scuba-diving in the Red Sea and hiking Mount Sinai for the sunrise! God is so incredibly creative and I still can't believe I've experienced all that I have this week. His beauty jumped out at me in everything and the Bible truly came to life for me. We were in the same place that the Israelites wandered in the desert, where the Red Sea was parted, the burning bush, and where God gave Moses the 10 commandments! I am mind blown with God's unnecessary goodness towards me and I am so so thankful for Him and this year. It is all Him who made this possible for me, but I want to thank everyone as home for the support I receive. I am filled with the joy of the Lord.

Team prayer requests/ praises:

-Praise Jesus that Precious was able to join us over a month ago!! It has been so sweet to have her with us, she brings so much wisdom and joy to the team.

-Praise Jesus for His living and active Word and how it has penetrated our whole team's heart!

-Praise Jesus for the sweet time we had with Jill visiting! (She brings so much joy and truth into my life).

-Praise God for the recent Spiritual conversations and Gospel presentations we have had! We have been able to make an impact here just by the way we live differently and it is so encouraging. Pray that we will finish our time out here well.

-Pray for boldness and more opportunities to be a light for Jesus.

-Pray that our team would be fully unified and no bitterness would arise.

Personal prayer requests/ praise reports:

-Praise Jesus for the intimacy I feel with Him and the sweet times in the Word I have been experiencing!!

-Praise Jesus for the truths and revelations the Spirit has brought to my heart and mind.

-Pray that my prayer life would be bold and consistent.

-Pray for wisdom and peace as I am making my college decision. (This is a big prayer request!!:))

-Pray for my heart as I am truly so sad to be leaving Egypt in two weeks. God will bring me where he will be most glorified but I am definitely going to miss everything here. I want my heart to fully go with God and where He has me, so pray I could have full joy and contentment wherever I go with Him.

Phew, that's all for now. ;))

"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!!"