The Race is a continual rollercoaster ride of circumstances.
One minute you’re blessed with a bed to sleep on and an energetic, organized
contact. The next you’re fighting the urge to vomit as you make your way into
the squatty after you’ve spent the last 48 hours feeling completely useless
because of a language barrier and a translator who doesn’t really speak
English. So we often play the ‘thankful game’… at least I try to do it a lot in
my head. Something I’ve learned and experienced on the Race is that the Lord
sits “enthroned on the praises� of His people (Psalm 22:3). We are literally in
the presence of God when we praise Him, when we proclaim and appreciate all of
the things that He has done and all the things that He is. And in His presence
there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).
We really do have so much to be thankful for. So in the spirit of
Thanksgiving, here are some of the things that I am so very thankful for today…
·
I’m thankful for the fact that I wake up each
and every day on this thing called the World Race.
·
I’m thankful for family that loves me
unconditionally, even when I do bizarre things.
·
I’m thankful for my mom and dad who speak love,
truth, and wisdom to me constantly, whether they realize it or not.
·
I’m thankful for my amazing siblings- Mariah,
Carrie, Kiley, John, Sam. Even thousands of miles away, they bring me more joy
than I could ever express.
·
I’m thankful for O Squad and the way they strive
to love me and call me forward into greatness.
·
I’m thankful for No-Shave November and my newly
shaved head, both of which render showering almost completely unnecessary.
·
I’m thankful for all the things God is teaching
me right now: obedience, surrender, patience, how to spend all of myself loving
people.
·
I’m thankful for the last three months I’ve had
on this beautiful continent called Africa- for all the dirt, sunshine, and
unique smells.
·
I’m thankful for B.Priess- for her boldness, for
the comedy she brings into my life, for her monthly science experiments.
·
I’m thankful for J.Jue- for the way he thinks
about things, for his wisdom, for his precious, unintentional panda impression
that comes out when he’s really tired.
·
I’m thankful for Angela Darling- for her fiery
passion for truth, for her obsession with Hind’s Feet and God’s love, for her
unashamed release of un-girly sounds.
·
I’m thankful for D.Money- for his heart for
strangers, for his Spanish skills, for his obsession with coke and his ability
to almost always finish the food I cannot.
·
I’m thankful for Jenny Sue- for her nearly
constant laughter and joy, for her eagerness to pray, for her wild and
sometimes violent bursts of love.
·
I’m thankful for my light blue Awakening shirt
that “matches� with pretty much anything, so I can wear it a minimum of four
times a week.
·
I’m thankful for my L’Chaim girls- Syd, Lili,
Rachelle, Emily, & Logan- and the way they know me and love me.
·
I’m thankful that God is reawakening my emotions
after a time of fearing and avoiding them.
·
I’m thankful for God’s Word and the way it is
starting to leap off the page and move my heart.
·
I’m thankful for emails from my best friends-
for their unchanging love for me, even as who I am is changing.
·
I’m thankful for the identity that God has
written on my heart, and I’m thankful for the journey He is taking me on to
discover what He says about me.
·
I’m thankful for abandonment and the way that it
leaves me sprawled out at the feet of Jesus.
·
I’m thankful for Pastor Chacha’s hilarious
impression of muzungus getting attacked by lions on safari.
·
I’m thankful for the apple juice down the street
that comes in a 3D triangle and costs about 30 cents.
·
I’m thankful for the mountains and starlit
nights that have filled my last month.
·
I’m thankful for monkeys, lions, leopards,
giraffes, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, hippos, and all other safari animals!
·
I’m thankful for the hint of fall God provided
this month in the beautifully colored trees behind our house.
·
I’m thankful for music, specifically the
playlists Nathan Sassafras made for me.
·
I’m thankful for African décor- neon colored
fake flowers, giant posters of mansions, and little doily-type squares on
EVERYTHING.
·
I’m thankful that this list could truly go on
and on and on and on.
