I didn’t think goodbyes had been all that bad or difficult until everything hit me as I stood in line at airport security. Tears began to roll down my face as I watched my dad turned around to wave one last time. At that moment I realized that this would be the last time I would see him for almost a year!
So I did it. I said goodbye to my family to follow the call of Christ. I fit my whole life into a 50 pound bag (barely) and I took a couple flights to get to South Africa.
At first read, I thought this verse was pretty harsh…
“Another disciple said ‘Yes Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.’” [Luke 9:61-62]
But now I see it’s quite simple: in order to follow God fully, nothing can get in the way of or lessen the passion and unending love that we have for Him.
I can now say it was all worth it. Every goodbye, every uncertainty and hesitation was all worth what I witnessed and was a part of tonight. The gift all comes down to one simple word: COMMUNITY.
My squad and I have known each other for a little over a month, yet we feel like family. As 61 of us sat/stood/kneeled in a room to worship tonight, the Spirit was present, present like I’ve rarely witnessed. There is a sense of freedom among us that transcends all understanding. I am beginning to understand what the first church felt when they shared everything and communed daily, and it is sooo GOOD!
I LOVED seeing men praying BOLDLY for brothers and women claiming TRUTH over sisters. A girl's back was miraculously healed! We proclaimed POWERFUL declarations personally and as a squad for the year. We danced, and danced, and danced!! (making the room quite muggy and smelly… haha) We shouted loudly and some repented courageously. It was as if God was in the room and our sole intention was to praise Him whole-heartedly without judgement from one another.
I then spent precious time with my team, encouraging and uplifting one another. I am so very excited to serve along side them and learn so much from them!
Still though, today had it’s frustrating moments to say the least! I was first in line to get my team and another team bus tickets to Zimbabwe that we will use tomorrow. Let’s just say sometimes God answers prayer too quickly. The other day I prayed for the Lord to give me patience and humility, and oh did he pile it on today! To make it short, I spent from 11 to 5 trying to get these tickets bought. The African internet would fail so I’d try the phone, and this happened back and forth multiple times. Although I was frustrated, my team was sooo supportive and encouraging! We finally ended up taking a taxi into Johannesburg to buy directly from the bus station. God is faithful because even though I missed out on a lot of chill time with my squad, I got a short tour of J-burg, where I was the only white woman in sight! (Seriously, I did not spot one!)
Tomorrow begin’s the first step of our adventure. Please pray for my team, Fierce Pursuit, as we grow closer and live in the capital of Zimbabwe doing ministry with local churches. Also pray that the joy that has just begun to ignite will fan into a monstrous flame, consuming everyone around us!
