Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

 

My race route took a quick twist and I am now sitting in the Tokyo airport awaiting the arrival of my plane back to America where I will begin month four.

First, I want to say THANK YOU to all my supporters. The last three months have been incredible. Each country presented its own unique excitement, challenges, and lessons that will forever impact how I view myself, this world, and the God I am so proud to serve.

All of the financial support I received was used (…and then some, to get me home). I couldn’t be more thankful that you allowed God to work through you to give me this life changing experience.

Second, I want everyone to know that my coming home is not due to God not providing for me. It is due to Him providing for me in so many wonderful ways. Yes, it looks different than expected; 3 months overseas as opposed to 11. But God knew the desires of my heart before I even knew them. My financial status definitely pushed me into a time of prayer and questioning. During that time, God quickly changed my question from “Why have my funds for the rest of the race not been coming in?” to “God you know better than I do, let your will be done.”

As I began praying for God’s will to be done, I felt like He was asking me to really search the desires of my heart and asking me to be vulnerable with myself and with Him. When I began this process, I quickly started to realize that as much as I was enjoying myself on the race… I really did long to be doing ministry somewhere more long term where I could really invest and to not be moving through all of these experiences at such a quick rate. It hurts to give your heart to people and places and then leave. I don’t think it is a bad thing at all it’s just a hard thing. It has definitely taught me to cling to God.

At this point I wasn’t o.k. with putting those desires before God because I didn’t think it was the right prayer. I didn’t know if I could trust my own desires because I know my nature. But in so many different ways God kept speaking, “be vulnerable, I want to give you the desires of your heart.” Eventually, I was able to put those desires before God without shame, knowing that He longs for his children to be completely vulnerable with Him because He wants to give them the desires of their heart.

I think we need to be willing to sacrifice our desires and there will be times God asks us to do so but our Dad wants us to give us beautiful things. If we are truly in an intimate relationship with Him, I believe we can reach a point where our desires are in line with His. One of the pastors in Malaysia said, “Bowing down was one of the first forms of worship, it is a representation of putting your mind below your heart.”

 

 I’m learning what it means to bow down.

 I’m learning what it means to follow my heart.

I’m learning that God loves who I am and He did not make mistakes in creating me.

 My desires are part of who I am.

 

So really it is blessing that the money came at the rate it did. If it was all there ahead of time I would not have been challenged to seek the desires of my heart. I have no doubt God could have brought the money in and would have provided it, if it was what I really wanted. He knew what I wanted before I did and gave me the opportunity to seek it out and to learn that it was nothing to be ashamed of.

He is far more concerned with who we are than where we are.

Coming home is definitely not easy but it really is what I want; it happened a lot faster and very differently than I expected. I already miss my team and squad; they have definitely become family to me. I can’t thank God enough for letting me spend the past three months with them. But family is family no matter where you are. So I don’t consider this an ending for us… just the beginning of a new chapter. I cannot wait to find new ways to encourage and support them.

I have no doubt that God is opening doors for me at home. I’m so excited to see everyone, to process through everything I just experienced, and so excited to see what He has for me next!!!

Psalm 16:5-6

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”