it’s was a world-race flashback kind of week. i was in nashville for a week to help promote the world race and real life. i made the five hour trek with kelly, whom i’ve been working alongside of to help develop our real life [college age] program. we had a great time sharing our stories with anyone and everyone who would listen and working from coffee shops we stumbled upon. we shared at churches and had meetings with many potential ministry partners.
thursday i met up with more aim people at the national youth workers convention. four of us ran a booth for three days to help promote adventures in missions and our different programs. it was completely exhausting but i had a great time…
[connie, ashley, kim, and rian at the aim booth]
i wrote the following on saturday afternoon during a break in the conference :
this whole week has just been nostalgic. this moment is extra nostalgic. it’s probably the whole sitting in a hotel lobby thing. i’ve been sleeping in random places, wandering around town trying to find food, running around looking for a decent internet connection. the normal world race things.
oh, and telling stories. i’ve been able to share lots of stories from my time on the field. and also what the lord is doing in me and through me now. it’s been good for my soul. good for my spirit to reconnect to some of those stories. somehow it makes them seem more real if i share them. like, even though i’m not still sitting across from noi at the dream bar in phuket, thailand, six months ago i was. and the conversations i had with her were real. and the jesus she saw in me then was real. and maybe i’m not under a tree in africa praying for blind eyes to open today. but i did. and the eyes opened and something in my heart shifted. and it was good. and yeah, i’m not running vbs in vietnam. but i’m helping get people to vietnam. and so more orphans know about jesus because i’m here.
and i’m doing the stuff. you know, the kingdom kind of stuff.
so i came to nashville and i’ve spent the week telling people about what i do. where i’ve come from and where i’m going as part of this whole thing. this thing that is bigger than me. this thing that is so changing the world it’s hard to comprehend sometimes.
i’ve spent the week passing out brochures to youth pastors and sharing my experience with unsuspecting college kids. and in between all of that i bought a paper from a homeless lady. and i ate panera. and then i gave away my vanilla wafers to a hungry couple. and i prayed for the guy in the coffee shop. and i talked to my grandma about thanksgiving. i sent emails and talked about numbers. i laughed. and then i laughed some more. and i checked my Facebook. then i cried about orphans. and then i worried about money. and i prayed and asked God for more grace. and then i thought about working out. i drank some coffee and talked theology. i just did the deal…
i just lived life.
and it’s different.
and some days it’s hard. and then some days it’s not hard enough.
but it’s good. it’s a good life.
and for the first time since i’ve been back home i’m content with it. i’m not struggling to find something better in this moment. because this is better. this is better than anything i could have ever dreamed up. these people, this calling, this job and this life. it’s better. and i’m thankful. i am incredibly, absolutely, beside myself thankful.
i wouldn’t be able to do any of this without YOU. i am so incredibly grateful for the investment YOU have made in me through your encouragement and prayers. i am in desperate need for more financial partners for this upcoming year. in order for me to keep doing ministry with the world race and aim i need to raise a yearly budget of $18,000. [$1,500/month]. right now i am only raising about $300/month.
please prayerfully consider partnering with me. questions? please contact me.
