Remembrance Stones for 2024

2024 was the most abundant year of my life. I was in 39 nations:

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Colombia, Mexico, Pakistan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, China, UAE, Iran, South Korea, Thailand, Tajikistan, Turkey, Cyprus, Togo, Morocco, Qatar, South Africa, Gabon, Rwanda, Malaysia, Brussels and of course the USA.

We saw THOUSANDS of people saved, hundreds healed, many delivered, Bibles were distributed, Bible study groups started and many were baptized.

“Lose your life” was the theme for 2024 and Jesus came through on His word.

The teaching of “lose your life” is the only teaching of Jesus found in all 4 gospels. (Jn12:25, Lk 9:24, Mk 8:35, & Mt 16:25) That’s an intentional emphasis and I found if we trust Him at what He says we will see the fruit of obedience every time.

I lost my life in 2024 and lived the most abundant year yet.

He told me to only read the book of Acts in my quiet time as the baseline Bible reading. This book emphasized what real missions is. This is what missions looked like for the people who were the closest to Jesus’ discipleship.

I really felt like I chose to lay down my desires and make my focus be on seeing people come to know Jesus. As I read the book of Acts, I sought “How can I lose my life more?” My main takeaway is that I can be wayyyyyy bolder. I resonate with Paul more than any other time in my life and feel like God wired us the same. However, I’ve never called someone a “son of the devil” like he did. For real, in modern day missions, I would be chastised if I said that. Paul just had a big old “I could care less what anyone thinks of me besides Jesus” on his forehead. He was laid down.

2 mission camps exist in our world of missions:

1. You have the fear based “save your life” camp that are hardly unified or multiplying or seeing fruit and usually stifling the gospel. They will flat out tell you not to share the gospel. They use fine sounding arguments for how to not get persecuted, thrown in prison or thrown out of the country. It all sounds good and tickles ears but it’s not first century Christianity based on Acts. It’s something, but not that.
   • “Whatever you fear you worship” my dear friend told me. If you fear losing your life for the sake of the gospel, you worship yourself….deep down.
2. Then you have the love based “lose your life” camp that only care about the Kingdom and the gospel. They are unified, full of joy, seeing all kinds of fruit, multiplying and risking everything for the sake of a soul. They look like the book of Acts and yes, of course they are persecuted and laying their lives down.
   • **working with local contacts from the country you are ministering in are usually the least fearful ones I know….it’s usually the western missionaries that have every safety check known to man…just sayin…like track records on this

Jesus said if you lose your life you find it. You really “give your life” to Jesus when you pray the prayer. Your life is truly His and for His Kingdom. That’s what that prayer meant.

Fear and thankfulness can’t exist in the brain at the same time. I remember when I was in Dubai about to go into Iran and I got a text warning me not to go in. In that moment, fear tried to creep in for the first time since I heard God say to go. And immediately, God spoke to me and reminded me of what He said. And I had the best time ever because I chose to listen to His voice. He is love. Love always casts out fear. So thankful I listened to Him.

I intentionally chose not to complain this year about the dynamics about life in missions. The Bible said don’t complain so you can shine like stars. It’s just that simple. And when you do that and look back, like I did today, you barely remember what was hard. You remember the salvations, the ways God answered prayer, the way He provided…fear and thankfulness literally can’t exist in the brain at the same time.

I have decided I always want to instill faith in those I disciple. A lot of us read the Bible and have amazing quotes we say that we don’t really mean. Like we like to read about Stephen being martyred for the faith like it’s some fairy tale bedtime story, but are we willing to let our kids go to war torn areas to share the glorious gospel for such a time as this? It’s a real question. Are we reading the Bible like it’s the life we signed up for or a fiction novel that sounds nice for discussion around hot cocoa and comfort?

This year was filled with firsts. First time I school led for Fire and Fragrance. (P.S. working with FF in Kona has been the BEST. I absolutely LOVE it and love Gen Z.) First time I did “Up Hill Battle.” First time I led ministry night on campus. First time I stayed up for 40+ hours doing two 24 hour prayer/evangelism burns. First time I taught in YWAM Colorado. First time I taught in January School FF DTS on evangelism and the middle school and high school on campus on the Holy Spirit. First time the lame walked at a crusade in Pakistan that I was a part of. First time I officiated a wedding.

It was also my first time to have cancer. I decided before I got the results that I would share the gospel with the doctor. That led to many more doctors hearing about Jesus, one of which was an atheist plastic surgeon in Mongolia who gave his life to Jesus! I had the follow up surgery in America and the borders came back cancer free so I decided the conclusion was I have a scar on my back for a Mongolian’s salvation.

I was walked in the most authority I ever have in India when I was diagnosed. We all have a choice on how to respond to the unexpected and I chose to focus outwardly. If we lose our lives, we find them.

We ended up doing 8 crusades in Pakistan and I got to raise $108,000 for them. I had one month to raise all the funds. I have never tried anything like that and God kept speaking to me that He would do it. I did have a moment of doubt that it could all come in but He quickly reminded me “I will provide it all.”

In the process, He told me to sell my car and give all the proceeds to the crusades. We put the car on the market and it sold within 17+ hours. I was jumping up and down with joy that it sold so fast, emphasizing to me that I had clearly heard God. I was genuinely shocked at my reaction because you never know what it is your heart and what’s an idol until God decides to take it away. Then your heart is revealed.

I don’t own anything of value…like I don’t own a house, don’t own my own bed (I sleep on bunk beds on campus in our dorms) but I did have a car. And I thought about “Will I care that I had a Honda CRV in Kona while I am preaching to thousands of people about Jesus in Pakistan?”

I can tell you I didn’t care about my car as I watched thousands get saved in Pakistan.

After our DTS finished at the end of September, I started the trip Jesus told me to do…go to all the hostile nations on the Voice of the Martyrs map. He told me to start in Africa, so I began in Ethiopia. Jesus told me this trip was like a Father/daughter adventure with Him. And it truly was.

He told me to post on social media to find contacts. I went to Lebanon and Israel when they were at war. The heaviest day of bombing in Beruit was the heaviest day of evangelism. That’s the way I see life. We must take the open doors while they are open.

I taught in a lot of YWAM base contexts all over Africa. I really challenged Africans to go into missions. It was so powerful to see their eyes light up and see faith rise when I said that I believed Africa could be the largest mission sending continent and that they are a part of the movement.

I shared the glorious gospel in every country I partnered with and saw so many saved including people who had never heard the gospel. I resonated with Paul so much that I only care about Jesus Christ and Him crucified…like that’s all we did. Shared the glorious gospel over and over again.

It was also important, like Paul, to strengthen the churches and I got to share with a lot with believers the messages Jesus had for them. Jesus emphasized all year to only speak what God wanted me to speak. So I would pray before times on a mic asking Him what He had for the group and tried to obey what He said even if it was awkward for others and not the normal.

It truly felt like an adventure with Jesus. I would weep from His faithfulness. I saw Jesus in the finest details. I CLUNG to His voice.

I got pursued more than any other year of my TT AD life. Almost any driver in an uber, seatmate on a flight that was single, or guy at a ministry settling this fall….would show interest. P.S. this is not TT’s norm whatsoever. I was low key proposed to three times this year., but all by non-believers.

Even one church I spoke at in Cameroon said “Teresa, please introduce yourself and your marital status.” LOL! One DTS student in Nigeria gave me “feedback” after I taught them on feedback and said it was time I was married and had kids…he was dead serious. lol

I will be married one day and maybe this year God used many ways to prepare me for even the idea of marriage. My husband will be on fire, laid down, hopefully have corn rows, a little hood and a lot HOLY. 🙂

But one thing I have gained in 24 years of just TT and Jesus, is that He’s enough. You can’t burn til the end if you can’t burn alone. Jesus knows He’s my best YES.

I am writing a rap based on wholeheartedness and I haven’t finished it yet because I come away from 2024 knowing Jesus needs more of my heart. The Bible says love the Lord with all your heart and though I have many praise reports of trusting Him, I know there is more to give. I wanna know for real for real what it means in Psalms 16 that in His Presence is fullness of JOY…like in nothing or anyone else…just HIM.

He encourages me that I lived off His voice this year. That I love revival. That I will always choose Him. That He will always have first place in my life. Yet, He wants more of my heart. I know this.

He spoke to me “You must detach to attach to the fullness of what I have for you.” We pray all the time “Lord, remove this…help me with this.” And He does it when we pray and He answers. I feel like God made an executive decision in my life this year and just decided what was best for His daughter. I felt so loved, protected and cared for by God. His boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. His yes is good. His no is good. All His open doors are amazing. And all His closed doors too.

You will have Your inheritance, Jesus….starting with my heart.

Acts 20:24 (literally the numbers 2024…so cool) sums up how I feel about the year:

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

I leave 2024 having been to 79 nations out of the 195 He has called me to.

Funniest moment of 2024: Almost any moment with Elijah Belay, but I died laughing when he continually kept throwing whipped cream at me in a house that hosted our staff gathering.

Greatest run of 2024: Through the hills of Cameroon as the sun rose….in awe.

Greatest compliment of 2024: a Muslim I ministered to in Tanzania said “When you started to talk about Jesus, your face began to glow…and I can tell that is what you are most serious about and that you are truly born again.”

My favorite band of 2024: Black Voices Movement especially “Dance like David” and fave artist, Tiffany Hudson, with her “Sure been Good” song on repeat

Best salvation story of 2024: Mongolian plastic surgeon that got saved because God allowed me to have cancer.

Best answer to prayer in 2024: Toss up between getting in and out of Iran and Israel.

Most refreshing moment in 2024: Thanksgiving in Jerusalem…I wept in thankfulness.

Best book I read in 2024: Acts

Fave ministry moment of 2024: when the Muslim girl asked “How did you convert from Islam to Christianity?” in Burkino Faso…I felt like I was in a slow motion clip from a movie and thought “this is why I exist.”

Most repeated Scripture He highlighted to me in 2024: In His presence is fullness of JOY from Psalm 16

Favorite part of 2024: Iran. Period.