A Quick Recap
I’m done with round one of my shots for the World Race…four shots down, and five more to go. My arms got jabbed with Hep A, flu, Tdap, and yellow fever…the last was a killer and has taken a toll on my body (I’ve been feeling tired and feverish). I’ve spent the past few weeks getting serious about my gear and also training my body for the physical challenges I’ll encounter at camp and on the trip. I’ve been gathering things right and left for training camp, while my Dad has taken on the responsibility of researching the best gear possible for his daughter.
Because part of training camp is to be able to go three miles in fifty minutes with your backpack on, filled with all your belongings, I’ve been trying to build up muscle. I’ve strapped 37lbs onto my back by wrapping weights in towels and stuffing them in my backpack, then I walk/jog three miles a couple of days a week.
~~~I’ve stuck in some pics at the end of this post~~~
What’s going on spiritually
The closer it gets to January the more I find myself lying in bed at night and thinking: Snap…it’s getting real. What the heck am I doing?
I’ve found that I have my ups and downs as I prepare to leave. The financial part of this trip sometimes feels like a huge weight…but I’ve noticed that right when it seems like it’s been stagnant, someone out of nowhere will encourage me and bless me (financially or with words of life). But I really think that if it weren’t for the down times I’ve had, then I wouldn’t be learning nearly as much as I have been.
God has been breaking me down, and teaching me so much that I don’t even know where to begin. But I feel like I need to make a confession: I wasn’t ready to go on the World Race when I applied. Over the past few days I’ve come to realize that when I applied I didn’t have the right mindset. A few weeks ago, I talked on the phone with a friend who’d been on the World Race two years ago; a piece of advice she left with me was: “Be present”
God has really been teaching me that I need to be completely present. That means not allowing my past to define me, and not letting my future create anxiety and worry inside of me. Two nights ago, I came home from work, and walked upstairs to my room feeling sick. It wasn’t a physical sickness, but rather, it was that feeling I get when I know something is amiss in the spirit realm, and I need to listen to what God is telling me. So after spending time with Him, and talking with my mom, I really feel as though I’ve been enlightened.
My battle field is in my mind. I realized that during the times when I feel down about the World Race, (like I won’t get all the funds in, I’m making a mistake, or just uncertainty about the future) I’m actually entertaining thoughts from the enemy, and not dwelling on thoughts from God. The reason why I don’t think I’ll get the funds is because I get caught up in the idea that I have to do this on my own strength; I’ll look at who I’ve been in the past and think: I can’t raise $17,417. I’m not going to convince people to invest in me. This is impossible. But God’s thoughts are: No, you can’t raise $17,417, and yes this is impossible for you to do. But it won’t be your strength that’s going to move people’s heart to give, and I want to provide for you. I’ve asked you to do the impossible, so I can receive the glory for making it possible. There are times when I feel I don’t have enough love in my heart for people to do the World Race, because I remember my impatience, and think: If I get irritated by little things in the USA, how will I be when I’m encountering real poverty, pain, and injustice like I’ve never seen before? But God says: Your past doesn’t define you. I feel uncertainty about the future because I think I need to have it all figured out, and I get distracted by how society defines success. I think: If I don’t use my degree, then it’s a waste, and if I go on this trip and don’t have a job to come back to, I’ll be a loser. But God says: My kingdom doesn’t operate the way the world does. I’ve called you to live in the present, not the past, and not the future.
Satan doesn’t have access to the mind of a Christian, but he can certainly create a stronghold in our thoughts if we let him. He has access to the minds of unbelievers and is able to use certain triggers in our daily lives that he knows will plant thoughts of doubt, fear, uncertainty, and, ultimately lies. The key to this is to recognize these triggers as soon as they happen, and snip it in the bud. Take each though captive, and force it to bow down to Christ. Don’t entertain thoughts of doubt, but dwell on God’s character and His truth.
I felt a shift deep inside of my spirit as God has continually had to change my mindset. I have to be present. My past doesn’t define me, and my future shouldn’t cause worry and anxiety. The thought that began this journey for me was: What if I only have a handful of years left to live? Well, what if I have 70 plus years left to live however, someone on the other side of the world only has a little more time left? And what if that same person is the one who God has called me, and only me, to show His love to them? Another racer whose blog I was encouraged by puts it this way, “No one else in this world can show love the way you show love.”
The adventure isn’t about how many cultures, places, and things I get to experience and see…no, the adventure lies in following the Spirit where He beckons. It’s so simple, and yet we tend to make following Christ more complex than it has to be. All things from Christ are rooted in love, and it’s love that opens the door to Him moving in us and through us. The possibilities are endless when we let God take the lead. And that’s true for everyone, not just the people He leads to another country! Indeed, let the adventure begin, because in the words of C.S. Lewis, “Aslan is on the move.”
Taken Friday, 09-16 after getting my shots.
Taken Saturday, 09-24. I’m still battling the brutal, sweltering, heat of Texas as I train for training camp!
