“Hey, what is your name?” Ryan asks.
“Ana,” I reply.
“You’re the girl with 11 hearts,” he says.
“What are you talking about?”
“You have 11 hearts on your neck.”
“Oh?”
“I counted yesterday.”
In 2006, I got one heart tattooed on the back of my neck. Then some years later, I added more hearts coming up along the side towards my right ear.
I never told the artist how many hearts I wanted. He just “happened” to give me 11.
Truthfully, I really wanted to get the lyrics “All you need is love; love is all you need,” by the Beatles. However, I wasn’t ready to commit, so I chose hearts.
I counted how many that first week while it was healing. But then I never thought about it. As a matter of fact, In my head I always thought I only had nine. Some people have asked me why that many, but I never had an answer. Sometime last year, I even started to regret it a little bit.
But fast forward to the second day of ministry on the Race. I am in Simonstown School running a sports ministry camp with 6th and 7th graders when one of the boys, Ryan, and I have the interaction above.
As a World Racer, the number 11 has a special meaning. We use very, vey often. Afterall, we are going to 11 countries in 11 months!
Did you hear that? Yeah, I’m going to eleven different countries, in eleven months. I certainly did not choose this trip because of any specific number…and definetely not because of a tattoo I already have.
I know God is going to use this trip to change my life and the way I view things. Specially the way I see HIM! I just never thought He would be using this trip to give my tattoos new meanings.
It’s so crazy that He already knew that I would be here…I can’t wrap my mind around it.
I knew I would be dealing with some hard things during these 11 months. Never did I think it would be so soon. At debrief, weeks ago, I got up in front of my whole squad and shared things I never thought I would say to another human. It was incredible!
It’s been less than two months and already so much has changed. I cannot wait to get to the other side of those 11 months and look back and see all the ways God will work in me, and in my new family of 40 (plus some).
I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE FREE.
I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE LOVED.
“How great is God—beyond our understanding!”
(Job 36:26)
