It was over sixteen months ago that I found myself kneeling at the altar of my church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I had tears streaming down my face and an overwhelming joy bubbling up from my heart. I had just heard my pastor speak the very words I had been praying to hear for over a week and a half. It was simply the word GO. He spoke it 3 times, completely unaware that his words just cemented the next year of my life for me. In that moment, it was official. I was going on the World Race.
In the nine months leading up to my take-off, I endured the wildest ride of emotions one could imagine. I was jumping up and down for excitement as I saw God answer my fasting prayers. One morning in particular, I was enjoying my first meal in over 24 hours as I opened a letter from a friend in Wisconsin. I surprised myself with tears as I counted out $110 in cash, the exact amount of money still needed for an upcoming deadline. The joy and relief I felt would push me a step further in preparation. Thank you donor and friend for your faith in me and in the Lord. It got me through the hard times.
On the other hand, there would be moments that I didn’t want to get out of bed. I had convinced myself on more than one occasion that if I just kept my eyes closed and laid really still, maybe time would stop. But I got by with a little help from my friends (HA). One dear friend in particular pursued me in my time of need. I have been blessed by her on countless occasions. She probably doesn’t know, but the last lunch we had together (at one of my favorite sushi restaurants), I was going through a tough time. To know that she was going to stand by me and cover me in prayer was all the encouragement I needed to push forward.
I am now here, sitting in Guatemala, in awe of where I am. God has provided over $15,000 through you to get me where I am today. It would be silly of me to thank all of my supporters, encouragers, family and friends on behalf of just myself. I am in the constant state of learning that my life is not just about me. So, on behalf of my nine months thus far, I want to thank you. You have no idea the impact you have world-wide. I hope you can be assured through this blog that you are making a difference.
Thank you on behalf of the abuelitos at Casa Maria. Without your support and prayers, I wouldn’t have the pleasure of spending my days with Guatemala’s forgotten. They would have spent countless days alone. I have seen them cry, laugh and applaud over our presence there. We get the chance to sing with them, color for them and lead them in aerobicas on a daily basis. They know they are loved. In their season of life, it may their chance to be reminded.
Thank you on behalf of Victor, Anastasia, Volodya and Maria. These precious babies have been abandoned by their mothers at birth in Uzgorod, Ukraine. Without your help, I wouldn’t have had the chance to hold them. The words “I love you” and “You are worth it” might have never been spoken over them. They are now covered in prayer and have been reminded they rest in the arms of Jesus.
Thank you on behalf of Aleksander. This is a man who walks with the Lord. Because of you, myself and my team have provided him with a host home, money for his visa and the connections he needs to make it to America. This man is going to change lives for Christ through his experience in seminary and the people he will meet along the way. He will one day bring the light of Jesus back to his hometown of Pozarevic, Serbia. You are apart of that coming revolution.
Thank you on behalf of Albert’s family in Romania. The presence of the Lord hovered over the crowd of people the day of Albert’s funeral. Thank you for sending me. You are apart of the love I got to share, the songs I got to sing and the people that were filled with peace during a time of mourning. Without you, my team and I wouldn’t have had the privilege of being Jesus to a group of Roma people who didn’t know Him yet.
Thank you on behalf of the beautiful Swaziland children. Because of you, I got to love on children who otherwise experience neglect. My team and I were apart of their once a day food distribution. We got to be apart of the love Jesus wanted to overwhelm them with. And in return, I got to experience the joy and laughter of hundreds of children despite some of the hardest living conditions I have seen. I have to thank you on behalf of myself this month as well. They changed my life as much as I got to impact theirs.
Thank you on behalf of Beacon of Hope in Maputo, Mozambique. Although this month was the hardest I have encountered on the Race, it may have born the greatest harvest. Literally. I was humbled during the hours a day that I got on my hands and knees to weed a corn field. I was taught what working with your hands looks like. I was challenged daily with dying to myself working in the hot Mozambiquan sun. And because of the way Jesus brought me to my knees that month, a “home for boys”, now has fields to harvest their food from. While I, on the other hand, will never again take for granted the meals that God puts on the table for me daily. That is all possible because of you.
Thank you on behalf of the kids at the Jeremiah Project in Cape Town, South Africa. These kids have endured a harder life than over 95% of the people I know back in the states. They have seen violence, drug and alcohol abuse more than most will in their lifetime. Even if only for a few weeks, I got to be apart of the joy they get from playing together out front of Ma and Pa’s house. They are fed once a week, taken in and given a roof over their head in times of need. More than that, they are learning the Word of God. One day, they will be the generation that makes the change. The prayers we prayed over that neighborhood were only possible because you gave.
Thank you on behalf of the mountain that I conquered in China. Fear was my Mount Everest. Because of you, I learned what true reliance on the Lord looks like. I could never thank you enough for the awful, amazing time I had with Lord on those mountain tops.
Thank you on behalf of the journey that I started in the Philipines. I have learned what true beauty looks like. It’s not in what you wear. I have learned what true community looks like. It’s a more radical servant-hood than I could ever have imagined. I have learned how to love the least of these. It’s a process of dying to myself everyday. And I just want to say thank you.
