I’m still exhausted. It was a life-changing nine days at training camp as we prepared for The World Race. We went to Gainesville, GA expecting to learn how to be prepared for eleven months of mission work in eleven different countries, and that’s exactly what happened. However, it happened in a much different way than what I expected. Instead of the focus being on the upcoming race, the majority of the focus seemed to be on us. Looking back, it makes sense. How could we go out and bring the Kingdom of God to the poor, widowed, and orphaned if we first didn’t understand how much we also needed to be freed from? I came into this experience not really knowing how much a person could change in such a short amount of time. In fact, I wasn’t expecting to really change at all. I thought I’d arrive at training camp and be looking out to what’s happening all over the world rather than looking within. I realized by day two that there was no chance that I’d return home the same person!! Praise God. The Holy Spirit is moving here. People are being changed and freed from the burdens they’ve been carrying. We were freed from the power of sin when we claimed Christ as our Savior but too often Christians are still carrying the weight of those sins…whether they’re sins we’ve committed or past hurts that we haven’t been fully freed from. That changed this week as the Holy Spirit moved mightily.
Who is this Holy Spirit that I’ve been learning about? He seems different than how I remember him in church. This Holy Spirit is real and active. This Holy Spirit sets people free and changes lives. This Holy Spirit actually wants to use ME (!!) in the same way he used the early disciples. He can use me to bring healing, give me words and insights to use to speak life into others, and provide me with courage to bring about his kingdom here on earth. Why didn’t I know all of this before? Why do I feel “comfortable” with who God is and who Jesus is but know so little about the third person in the Trinity? It looks like all that will be changing soon. I’m going to have to get to know him to do his work this year, and I can’t wait. I am relieved too! I was worried there wasn’t “more” as I struggled forward in my faith. Seeking the Holy Spirit’s freedom, authority, and voice is certainly “more”! Thankfully, the Lord opened the door to this new direction for my faith. I can’t wait to walk through it!
Here is a video my teammates and I made to introduce our team name. Enjoy!!
