As you train for The World Race, they tell you not to have expectations. They constantly are saying to be flexible, know that you have to adapt within a week in each country, things won’t always be what you want or even what you think and just let the Lord lead you. Throughout the training you think, “well obviously, I know all of that”. When you are on the field however you realize indeed you did have expectations, you did want certain things to happen, and you weren’t as adaptable as you believed you were. I am quite the organized and planned person but I came into the race knowing that that personality trait was not compatible to the race. I knew God would rip me of my dependence on schedules, needing to know plans and not depending on him for literally everything. As the race has progressed I have slowly been realizing I have control over NOTHING on the race as far as planning goes and that God is the only one that has the plans perfect. Each month we have had different hiccups in our plans, ministry that wasn’t what we thought it should be or contacts that simply don’t give you a schedule in which you have to come up with your own. This has been such a challenge for a Type A personality such as myself but I have learned so much dependence on the Lord through it.
Well I thought I had learned how to depend on God and what letting go looks like until we came to this month in South Africa. Unsung heroes a month where there are no plans, schedules, ministry or contacts in which are responsible for you. All we are suppose to do is meet with new people and find future partnerships, these were my only instructions for a whole month. “How hard can it be”, I begin to think to myself but hard it has been. It is a month where at times you have way more free time then you ever thought you would have on the race and then also a month where you have 3 meetings in one day so the team has to split by 2’s to accommodate everywhere you need to be. It is a month of hearing amazing stories of people that have laid down their entire agenda to pick up Gods plan and have complete dependence on him in doing so. It is a month where you have to trust in him entirely because you may have no idea where to go next but you know he has to have a plan because he is always with us.
As this month has gone on and we are now in week 3, I am finally learning his plans are better than mine. At the beginning of this week the only thing I knew was that we had no where to go after wednesday and we had no more contacts to pursue. We had one final meeting before leaving cape town we thought. I came to our squad leaders good friends house for dinner in low spirits thinking what a terrible leader I was, having no plan for my team. As she begin to share her heart, vision and ministry with us I knew it was a divine appointment. I knew we had no plans to leave yet because God wasn’t ready for us to go. As she kept talking we all grew more and more excited but knew we still had no place to stay (we didn’t mention this though because it seemed rather embarrassing). She finished her sentence with and if you need a place to stay my house is always welcome. We all lit up. “What?” I thought, “did she just say what I think she said?” Once again God’s plans were bigger than mine and we had a place to stay because we didn’t plan and limit him but waited on his perfect timing. We are now staying in a beautiful home with a god loving family that pours into us daily, has given us a million contacts and showed us love like I have never been loved before.
As I sit here so blessed by where we stay, how God has continually provided and what this race would look like if I was in charge and not God, I am blown away by how letting him provide is so much better! He knows the desires of my heart and loves me more than anyone so why would he not provide? This month has already taught me so much and we still have a week in a half left. I can’t wait to see where we end up after this week and his continued provision for us!
