Today marks the halfway part of the Race.
5.5 months on the field.
6 countries.
3 teams (soon to be on team #4…just saying. #byeboys).
So many hours of travel.
4 holidays away from home.
So much prayer. So much laughing. A little bit of crying.
And actually, a whole lot of Taylor Swift. And a lot of dancing.
It all came together a bit today when my teammate asked me, “What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in yourself from Month 1?”
It took me a minute to form the right words, but I think the biggest change I’ve seen in myself is in my understanding of how to love others. Living in community and partnering with different ministries each month has allowed God to teach me to willingly go to places I don’t necessarily want to go in order to love others the way Jesus would. Knowing my position as a daughter in the Kingdom has helped me have grace with others and rise to the opportunities to be more like Jesus.
Perhaps more than that ongoing lesson/challenge, I’ve also learned a lot about hearing from God. I’ve sometimes put too much pressure on one form of communication and undermined other ways of hearing from Him. I’ve definitely come to be more confident in receiving His love, and I hope to continue to grow my confidence in receiving His direction.
Sometimes, it hits me that my definition of “normal” has vastly changed, if not altogether evaporated. And hey-that’s probably a good thing. “Normalcy” varies month-to-month, and really, some of the only constants from the last few months have been rice, a lack of toilet paper, and bad instant coffee. Oh. And bowel issues.
Oh. And Jesus. I’ve learned that when Jesus is your only expected normal, when servanthood and flexibility are your normal, adventure is inevitable.
When your everyday looks different, but your “normal” is looking for and looking like Jesus, you can count on God to show up–more than you can count on eating white rice in an Asian country.
And in my experience so far, there’s a 100% chance you will be eating white rice Asia.
I think the Race, for me, so far has been about throwing “normalcy” to the wind and embracing moments where all you can say are things like this:
“It’s happening.” (-Esther Song, Jon Manning, Meagan Haley, Emily Gates, and Brittni Wisner) PS this is a good Race motto. 10/10 would recommend this motto to a friend.
“Eh, I’ve already talked to Jesus about it.” *rolls over, goes back to sleep.* (-Meagan Haley, on weird noises waking us up in the middle of the night.)
Today, we’re halfway home. We’re halfway done. It’s at once impossible to remember/anticipate home, and impossible to believe we still have another 5.5 months. I don’t know if I’m halfway to where God is going to ultimately take me, but I’m excited to continue to say “yes” to the unknown and look for Jesus along the way.
If I could some up the Race so far in one sentence, it might be this gem:
“I’m trying to figure out how to use a hoe…as a shovel.” (-Jon Manning, while making a volleyball court out of 2 piles of dirt)
It’s poetic genius, really. Just look at that willingness, the creativity, the confusion, the (implied) sweat, and even, ultimately, the hope that a hoe can be used as a shovel.
It’s like the hope that I can and will be used by God to bring Kingdom in 5 more countries. It’ll take a lot of willingness, creativity, confusion, and sweat (if the last 5 months have indicated anything), but I know God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
I’m already halfway done; I’m only haflway done.
I may be halfway home but my desire is to stay, wholeheartedly, away. God has lead me away for a purpose.There’s so much to learn, there’s so much to see, and there’s so much more for God to do in and through me.
“Normal” can wait-Jesus, you can have my “normal.”
Also. Here’s a picture of Jon and Dylan biking/almost crashing that also encapsulates how I feel about being halfway through the Race quite nicely:
Man. What a ride.
