I went to Mardi Gras for the second year in a row and now I’m so stoked for The World Race.
Let me preface with this before you think anything else of me. I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans on a missions trip. Yeah, I know not your typical Mission’s trip but life changing nonetheless. It was my first Mission’s trip I ever went on that I did last year and returning for a second year in a row changed my life even more.
Going on this mission’s trip I didn’t really know what I was going to get from God. I almost didn’t go. The money for my income tax check came in the day before the trip. I spoke to the trip adviser and they allowed me to still go. I already missed the group meeting for the trip where you bond as a group and get to know each other and express what you get out of the trip. I didn’t get to that so I was left with a “what’s next?” kind of feeling after I got accepted into it. Originally I wanted to go because it was the only mission’s trip I could on with my church before I go on the world race. The other trips happening were after I launched for the race so I felt like I had to go on this one as one last outing with my church. It’s really crazy how God works though. I intentionally wanted to be with my church but ended up doing the complete opposite.
So when we get to New Orleans we joined a home church called Saint’s Community Church or SCC for short. There my church and a couple other churches came together and we spent the week having various services, ministry preparation sessions, core team meetings, and did Mardi Gras street ministry. As I would sit in services God would place certain people on my heart to sit with them in service or pray for them during a prayer time. It just so happen that these certain people I tried to get to know were from a church in Canada. I then spent the rest of the week getting to know them and how things are different in Canada in comparison to the US. I’d head up to their hotel room after long days and talk them about my calling and hear about the things their doing in their church. I would spend each day looking forward to getting to know them more. It wasn’t till I was talking with one of them on a bus ride that I realized more as to why God brought me on this trip.
Instead of spending time and bonding with people from my home church, I developed a heart for these Canadians even before I found out they were Canadians. It would be me to find the foreigners and develop a bond with them. And even on the trip as we were witnessing on the street I met a lot more people from different countries like, South Korea, China, Australia, Hungary, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, Sweden, and so forth. It was like God was steering my heart to talk and share my heart with people from different nations. That conversation on the bus helped me realize that no matter where I go from here on out Missions will always be on my heart and God will direct me to people of different nations.
I had a leader from SCC last year and seeing his burden for the city of New Orleans really softened my heart to accept my calling to be a missionary. I remember leaving New Orleans my first year and having such a burden for him and the rest of the people at SCC. I was going home back to Orlando and they were left there still fighting for their city. The way the people at SCC led us to witness to people and spoke about their city showed inspiring passion. When I left this year and said goodbye to everyone it hit me a lot harder than before. I thought it would be easier now but it wasn’t. I was fine saying goodbye to everyone at the home base church. I tried saying goodbye to everyone. Goodbye to the Canadians that I loved with my whole heart that week, goodbye to my partner from the other church, goodbye to my old SCC leader (that one put a lump in my throat), goodbye to the rest of the SCC leaders, and before I knew it I noticed everyone else from my church had left and got on the bus and were waiting for me to leave. I don’t know exactly how long they were waiting but I just had to make sure my goodbyes were real since I knew I wasn’t coming back for a third year in a row because I’d be on the World Race.
I finally get on the bus and apologize to everyone for being late. I pulled out my phone and I stared at all the missed calls and texts about getting on the bus. I sat in the very first seat of the bus and turned my head to church as we pulled away. Then I just began to feel tears well up in my eyes as we drove off ending our time in New Orleans with SCC. At this point I’m trying to keep it together because I’m not really a crier except when it comes to goodbyes. I just didn’t think it would happen because I didn’t cry the year before when I left. Then again a lot has happened in a year and God has really worked on softening my heart to people from different places. So then one tear came out and then it was a done deal, my eyes just kept pouring out tears and at this point I’m trying to fight it off. Just trying to laugh it off like “Why am I crying?” and “I’m not even trying to cry right now.” The more I fought the more I would have memories from this week pop into mine. Moments where I prayed for the Canadians and they prayed for me, fun times with them at the hotel, a meaningful where I was reunited with my old SCC leader, and then I finally just gave up and let the tears run down my face. I put head down and just allowed myself to cry. I then began to close my eyes and pray. With each tear more and more faces from throughout the week just popped into mind. I would see all the people I prayed for during Mardi Gras outreaches, all the friends I made from the different churches, all the leaders at SCC, my favorite Canadian, and my heart just felt so overwhelmed.
The bus pulls up to the hotel and we were getting off to change and have our final dinner in New Orleans. I ‘m the first one off the bus and I jet to hotel room still crying my eyes out about this trip. I then sit on my bed feeling exhausted form all these emotions. I try to regain my composure and I did for a moment but then my roommates come in talking about how this trip has been incredible and life changing. I try to chime in and then immediately have tears stream from my face again. Jokingly I tell them this is what sucks about being a missionary. God breaking your heart about people you’ve met for a week. I told them I honestly don’t know how I’m going to do this eleven more times in the next year when I get to know people for months at a time. Then one of my roommates spoke to me saying that it’s incredible to see the heart God has given me. And that out of everyone on the trip it seemed that it was easiest for me to make relationships with people and love them with everything I’ve got.
I just really reflected on that on the bus ride home and realized that I needed to go on this trip again to realize my heart for people has changed and evolved tremendously. The way I was able to go on this trip was pretty crazy too because the money for it came in the day before we left for the trip and I almost didn’t end up going. Luckily I serve an on time God and I was truly blessed with this trip. Yeah I could I have use the money for World race equipment or something else but I don’t regret using it for this past week at Mardi Gras. It left me feeling more excited about what’s next for me which is the World Race. I’m going to get to love people from different nations and learn about their culture just like I did with the Canadians. I’m going to have friends in every corner of the globe and God is going to continue to break my heart for His people. I’m just blessed He chose me be a willing vessel of love for them. I have support coming from so many places and my SCC leader reminded me of that.
Coming into this year knowing this is the year I depart on the World Race brought fear and doubts about leaving. Now after this Mardi Gras Missions trip I feel a fire burning inside ready to take on the World Race by storm. God has been preparing me and equipping me with all I need to take on the World Race for such a time as this. He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. I’m ready to build relationship and love on people with my whole heart. I want to experience more moments where my heart will be full and overwhelmed for the people of many nations. This is a feeling I don’t ever want to go away so I must continue to fall in love with my calling because it is a beautiful thing. I’m back in Orlando but my mind isn’t. I’m missions minded from here on out.
“We are Pressed on every side by troubles but we are not crushed. We are Perplexed, but not driven to despair.” 2Corinthians 4:8 NTL
“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame”. Isaiah 50:7 NLT
