Happy Thanksgiving from Zambia!
On this first day as a World Race alum, I am realizing how much God has used these past 11 months to teach me how to live each day fully for Christ, giving praise and practicing thankfulness in all circumstances. Not everyday of the race was easy but I really do have so much to be thankful for this year! Since you probably want to get back to your turkey and pumpkin pie, I will just share 11 of the things (in no particular order) that I’ve been thankful for on the World Race…
1. God’s Protection. God does not promise us safety or comfort; in fact many of the places I lived and served in throughout the year would not be described as safe or comfortable by typical American standards. What I could count on when I was riding a bus down Death Road in Bolivia or sitting on the side of a mountain during a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Nepal or waking up to the sounds of an armed robbery in Zambia was God’s constant protection and divine purpose.
2. Hospitality of our Host Families. These are the people who carry out Kingdom work day in and day out in each of the countries we visited and they will continue following God’s call on their life long after we are gone. Regardless of their living conditions, household income, cultural differences, or daily schedule, each of these families welcomed a team of racers into their homes and made us feel like family. I will continue to pray for each of you and your ministries.
3. Health. With the exception of being born, I have never been a hospital patient, and I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the possibility of having my first experience in a third world facility but thankfully I never had to! I ate foreign foods without hosting any intolerable parasites, I got bit by hundreds of mosquitos without contracting dengue or malaria, I played with orphans but kept my hair lice-free, and I survived P-Squad without losing my appendix!
4. Adventures. Every day on the race is an adventure of some sort. Sometimes adventure means going on safari in Africa and other days it is leading a group of children to Christ at a VBS in the slums of India. My adrenaline gets pumping whether I am jumping off a waterfall, preaching in a village, or eating tarantulas at the night market — each of these adventures pushed me further outside of my comfort zone and into a life that is full and abundant.
5. God’s Creation. I’ve always felt closest to God when I spend time with Him in creation and this year was no exception. He showed me the grandeur of the Himalayan Mountains and the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. I swam with pink river dolphins, hiked through the rice fields of Vietnam, and leaned over the edge of one of the world’s tallest waterfalls! Truly breathtaking views but when you consider the creativity and diversity of our creator it’s absolutely mind blowing!
6. Diverse Cultures. I will miss the sound of an entire village of African children shouting “Azungus” and I will miss hearing prayers in Spanish or Khmer and perhaps I’ll even miss having my picture taken with everyone we passed in India. I wasn’t able hid the fact that I am a foreigner, but I have been able to interact with locals as more than just a tourist passing through. I absolutely loved getting to know more about the diverse communities I lived in and witness how God is growing the kingdom through the global church.
7. Community. Francis Chan describes community as “a place where everyone experiences real love and acceptance in the midst of great honesty about our brokenness.” I have seen this definition really come to life within P-Squad and on the 4 different teams that I had the joy of belonging to throughout the year. I am thankful for teammates who have loved me for who I am and have called me higher so that my life can look more like Christ. Whether we were on a team for one month or nine, these people have influenced my life in powerful ways.
8. Time with Jesus. The way I spend time with Jesus has evolved so much over the course of the year. Quiet times are no longer just something to check off my daily to do list but have actually become an intimate time with the Lord that I cherish. Rather then letting the busyness of life take over, I’ve learned to recognize God’s voice and more importantly to completely depend on His guidance rather than my own ideas or agenda. I am thankful that I have a renewed desire to pursue God and for the time I had to discover what that looks like for me personally.
9. Freedom. I surrendered my life to Jesus this past year more than I ever have and the result was experiencing freedom like never before. The type of freedom that is deeply rooted in who God says I am. I found myself free from doubts and fears, free from judgment, free from comparison, free from my past. Free to see clearly, free to love and even free to be imperfect. I am thankful for every hour and every day that I chose to surrender and walk in the freedom that can only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ.
10. Overwhelming Amounts of Support. Every prayer lifted up, every dollar donated, every message sent — these are the reasons that I was able to fulfill the call that God placed on my heart! Behind each of these acts of kindness is an individual, a family, or a business that I am extremely blessed to call part of my community at home. Speaking of home…
11. America. Leaving behind the comforts of home allowed me to experience new cultures and embrace the changes that come along with it. It allowed me to face unexpected challenges and dive deeper into relationship with God. I am grateful for all of the ups and downs of the World race and appreciative for what it taught me about God and about myself but this season is coming to an end and I am ready to go home. Ready to return to my friends and family. Ready to sleep in a bed, take hot showers, sit under the air con and flush toilet paper again. Ready to worship with my church family face-to-face. Ready to eat Chick-fil-a biscuits and drink pumpkin spice lattes! Ready for America! See you soon!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” –Psalm 136:1
