So much to say…
I have been on a journey for quite some time. One of my favorite teammates requested that I give an update and so I shall. I apologize for not doing this sooner. When you get off the World Race, life sweeps you away like a giant wave that has felt neglected for the last year.
I don’t think I can just jump into the now without catching you up on the last three months. Once I was released from the Race, I still had a journey ahead of me. All I could think about was my love who had seemed so far away and almost dreamlike for far too long. I had decided to head straight to her. But there was a lot of travel in between her and I and I had to take it one step at a time. I have thought back on the first leg of the journey home and shake my head in awe. Jesus was watching out for me.
Ryan and I had elected to ride with the squad’s luggage through Malawi. A land of road blocks and police with an outstretched hand. Don’t get me wrong, that is absolutely not all Malawi is, a most beautiful land and people, but on this day it was all we saw. After a couple of stops and bribes paid, our last one was a most memorable encounter with a certain police officer.
We actually haggled for the “ticket price” and afterward when he had realized that we had gotten the better price in his frustration decided he was going to charge us more. Now let me preface this next part with I have no idea what I was doing. In response, I pushed him and said, “no you’re not”. Looking back, I should have been thrown in jail and missed the next morning flight that would lead me to my dream. Instead, he walked over and wrote us a receipt as if nothing had happened. Thanks Jesus for watching out for me in moments of stupidity.
The next morning, I was on a plane to Kenya! And so began the 90 hour trek over the equator and international dateline, through three hemispheres and across three continents, with layovers in 7 airports and don’t forget the typhoon in Korea that had us sleeping in the Bangkok airport. All so worth it! The end result? The “beginning” of my life with the woman that, though I had only met briefly and talked to for two weeks, I knew without a doubt I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I will never forget seeing her in the airport as I came around that corner. Looking back, I am glad that He didn’t take away the nerves that I was trying to pray of. It would have robbed the experience.
We have been together ever since.
In a lot of different locations: Jacksonville, Florida with her family, Gainesville, Georgia multiple times with our World Race family, White, Georgia hitting training camp full circle and seeing it from the otherside, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma staying with more of Rachel’s family, and finally though not finally where we are right now in Vancouver, Washington with my family. In a week we will be driving across the nation, an engaged couple, in pursuit of a lifelong dream of marriage. Our plan is to get married somewhere close to Jacksonville sometime in May.
As for life after marriage we aren’t sure what’s in store. We know the story Jesus is writing in and through is going to be phenomenal whatever it is! We also know that our calling to serve in the Kingdom will never be over.
We are extremely excited. Though it is a little scary starting this new adventure, we believe in God’s faithfulness and know Jesus has our back. We would love a covering of prayer and if you feel it on your heart to help in any other way, we will receive it warmly. Email me at [email protected] if that is the case. Thank you so much for following and supporting me.
P.S. I am thinking of starting another blog as I begin this new journey so that God may be glorified all the more in the pages of my life. I will let you know what that looks like when the time comes.
Update: My internet and computer have not been getting along so we are actually leaving Monday morning!
