By the time the Doha trip came around in May 2025, something in me was already shifting.
Not fully. Not perfectly.
But enough for me to recognise that God was drawing me closer.
In Part 2, I shared how that trip began changing what I was feeding on.
But what I didn’t realise then was that God wasn’t just changing what I consumed—He was also changing the environment around me.
And that mattered more than I expected.
More Than Just A Celebration
The trip was planned to celebrate a friend turning 40. At face value, it was just a holiday.
But looking back now, I can see that God had attached something deeper to it.
Because sometimes He uses ordinary moments to do spiritual work.
A Different Kind Of Atmosphere
What stood out to me most wasn’t the location. It was the atmosphere.
There was an openness about God that I wasn’t used to.
Prayer flowed freely.
Worship was natural.
Conversations about faith were genuine and unforced.
No awkwardness.
No trying to be “cool” about loving God.
Just freedom.
And being in that kind of environment changed me more than I expected.
Scripture reminds us: “Bad company corrupts good character.” — 1 Corinthians 15:33
But the opposite is also true. Being around the right people strengthens you.
When You Stop Hiding Your Love For God
One of the biggest shifts for me during that trip was this: I stopped feeling like I had to hide my love for God.
There was joy in it.
Confidence in it.
A freedom I hadn’t fully experienced before.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt at home in God’s presence.
Not striving.
Not overthinking.
Not trying to keep my faith quiet.
Just fully there.
God Uses People Too
Scripture says:“Walk with the wise and become wise.” — Proverbs 13:20
And I saw the beauty of godly community differently on that trip.
God used His daughters—through conversations, encouragement, laughter, honesty, and simple moments—to reach places in me that quietly needed healing.
Not through preaching. But through presence.
Healing Can Happen Quietly
I’m learning that not all healing is dramatic.
Sometimes healing looks like finally feeling safe.
Finally feeling seen.
Finally feeling free to love God openly.
And in those quiet moments, God meets you in deeper places than you expected.
A Seed Was Growing
The trip didn’t suddenly make me fully surrendered. But it deepened the seed God had already planted.
I believe God planted something significant in me during that time—something that would continue growing in ways I didn’t yet understand.
A deeper hunger for Him.
A deeper openness to Him.
A deeper desire to stay close to Him.
Because sometimes God doesn’t just speak to you—
He places you in environments that shape you.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” — Philippians 1:6
Closing Thought
Looking back now, I realise Doha was never just a trip. It was part of how God was drawing me deeper.
Because God doesn’t just call you—He surrounds you with what you need to respond.
Sometimes the environment you’re in will either limit your growth
or help unlock it.
And sometimes, God uses people to help you become more at ease fully belonging to Him.
Closing Prayer
Father, Thank You for the people and environments You use to draw me closer to You.
Thank You for the quiet ways You heal, restore, and strengthen me.
Help me to remain connected to what pulls me closer to You—and to be discerning about what doesn’t.
And continue growing the hunger You’ve placed inside me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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