The last day of ministry on The World Race was a flurry of emotion. On one hand I realized that I’d made it through one of the most grueling years of my life. On the other hand I couldn’t believe it was already coming to an end.
We stood in a small living room, in an apartment that doubled as a church. Team Dino (my awesome team) was intermixed with several Ukrainian believers as we worshipped our wonderful creator. I shared a little about what God has been teaching me this year, and tried to bring encouragement to my new friends.
As the worship time came to an end we stood to pray and then we were told that we’d do communion before we ended our time together.
I stood and began to reflect on how thankful I am for the sacrifice God made for me. So many times I’ve taken the bread and grape juice and half heartedly thanked Jesus for dying on my behalf. In this moment I couldn’t help but bow my head and begin to praise God as images from this year played in my mind.
I was reminded of how absolutely blessed I am. I started thanking God for showing me the things He has shown me this year. I thanked Him for watching over me as I’ve circumnavigated the globe. But most of all I was humbled to realize that God had brought me to this point, given me more blessings than I could ever recount, and made it clear that He isn’t finished yet. This is only the beginning!
It may have been the last day of ministry on The World Race, but it was just the beginning of what is to come. God showed up and allowed me to bask in the glory of His Son. He reminded me of some incredible things He has done this year. And I truly thanked God from the bottom of my heart. I thanked Him for the people He put in my life: My team, new friends all over the world, and new brothers and sisters in Christ. I thanked Him for giving me glimpses of heaven on earth as we worship, in multiple languages, the God of the Universe who understands us all. I was just thankful.
I took the cracker and sipped the wine (yeah, it was the real deal) and held back tears. I couldn’t imagine a better end to one of the most incredible years I could ever be a part of.
I’ll be home in a few days, and it’s the beginning of the next season. I’m so thankful for this season. I can’t wait to see what’s next. In any case, I’ll be with Jesus and that’s the most exciting place I could ever imagine!
