J U N E - J U L Y

Well, hello there, friends!

Just here to give you guys a bit of an update on life currently and things to come later this year.

As most of you know, I have officially moved to Cocoa Beach, FL, where Overland's World Headquarters is located. This is the location of my base that I launch out from. I have been here for about two months now. I might be a little biased here, but I love this team so much and they're kind of the best. It's honestly just felt like family since the moment I got here. I was also blessed with a beautiful living situation by some friends that are currently overseas. They are letting me stay in their home. This house is next to a large nature preserve and I have one housemate that has become one of my best friends. It just feels like a place of peace and rest for me. I didn't know I needed something like this until I had it and feel so endlessly blessed.

My body has really been showing me my need for proper rest in the last month. Sometimes I haven't been good at listening to it but it's doing a good job at showing me what it needs haha. Sometimes I tend forget that I am only about a year out from my accident last year. I was miraculously healed during that time but there are still a couple of things I am walking through in the physical while I impatiently wait for my body to align with the Word. My home church has such a wonderful missions team backing its' missionaries with prayer, encouragement, and just genuine love. This week I received an update email that mentioned rest and its value. I received that email during a specific time when my body was in a lot of pain, and I was just frustrated with it. It was kind of this funny moment of feeling like the Lord was shoving a giant billboard and reminder in front of my face to rest. It's true that He always gives us the strength we need. Endurance is produced in the hardest of times. But, that being said, He also aids us when we need or sometimes just want to rest. At the end of the day, He is our Father. He pushes us when we need to meet our appropriate edge but also reminds us of the value of rest when we're pushing at times that don't call for it.

I know that the circumstances are far different in my life than Elijah's but I can't help but think about chapter 19 of 1 Kings when Elijah is running from Jezebel. This chapter is packed with insanity but the thing that I can't help but take from it right now is the sweetness of the Lord. He sees Elijah and hears his cries. Elijah literally has lost hope and feels as though he can't stand his current circumstances and doesn't want to go on living. Then the man just passes out. Meanwhile, the Lord sends angels to bring Elijah food and protection so that he can rest. What came after that time of rest was a task that required Elijah's complete focus and obedience despite the circumstance of being hunted down. Now, this is an intense story to relate to myself in a natural sense and I realize that. But it just shows what the hand of the Lord looks like and His heart for His servants. Elijah surely could've relied on the Lord for strength and probably endured but also God saw Elijah's fear and his exhaustion. He saw Elijah break down and met that break-down with love. God also sits outside of time and we can't forget that. He knows the circumstances to come and always prepares us for them-- if we let Him. Sometimes He just wants us to focus more on Him and what He is trying to teach us in order to prepare us for the next season. He is a relational God after all. He cares more about us than having the utmost efficiency in our day-to-day tasks. If the heart posture is only for efficiency, in relation to our timeline goals, and not the heart posture of just doing His work with excellence, then I think we have lost appropriate perspective.

This kind of perfectly brings me to my next update which involves my travel schedule for the rest of the year. I will be flying out to Zambia at the end of August and return to the states at the end of October. I am going over there with my fellow media team members to film some incredible things that the Lord is doing and has instructed us to show to the world in video format. I will give you guys more details on what these projects look like as time goes on. For now-- just be excited! (because I surely am)

Here are my prayer requests for those of you who are asking:

• For safe travel to, from, and during my trip this fall to Zambia.

• Believing for complete healing in my body. I have a lot of pain associated with my clavicle break and brain injury. My shoulder is strained quite a bit due to neck issues that are tied to my clavicle fracture. This causes me immense pain at times that hinders me from doing simple tasks. I am believing for my clavicle to be reset to back before it broke in the first place. I also have titanium in my head due to surgery (a craniotomy) that causes pain at times but also hinders me from free-diving and other activities that I love. I am believing that the titanium will dissolve, and my skull will be reconnected and healed fully.

I know these seem like some big prayer requests to us, but I also know that they aren't even remotely big for the Lord. I really just trust His promises and His word. Every name bows to Him and His promises are yes and amen. The Lord has called me to do His work around the world and I am not about to put up with physical ailments and let them stop me. Back when I was in the hospital, in September 2021, He told me that the timeline has not changed, His calling on my life has not changed, and that I am fully healed. So, basically, I am commanding my body to align with that promise, and I would love to welcome you guys to come alongside me in prayer for that.

Anyways, I hope you are doing well. Feel free to reach out to me ANY time with questions, prayer requests, or just to catch up with a friend (AKA me).

Love,

V