History tends to repeat itself. As of late, I look at these instances as reminders from God.
My first country on my first Race was Guatemala. My first ministry was building a road to a conference center that wasn’t even built yet. The pastor, Pastor Arnoldo, had two churches in Quiche, Guatemala that were pretty far from one another. He wanted to build a center where the two congregations from each of his churches could unite. He christened the place, Penuel which means “Face of God”.
I wrote a blog on this called “The Road to Penuel”. Check it out. I blogged about how much faith it took to build a road to something that didn’t exist. I really admired Pastor Arnoldo for his complete trust in the Lord. He didn’t have all the money to finish the project, so with every little bit of money that came in, he completed a little bit more of the road. When we left Guatemala at the end of July, it still wasn’t finished.
Pastor Arnoldo’s faith really encouraged me. When I left for The World Race in July of 2013, I wasn’t fully funded and had no idea what I was going to do when I got back to America. I wasn’t sure what my life was going to look like in eleven months, but my hope was in the Lord. Just because I couldn’t see what was in my future didn’t mean there wasn’t anything there.
As the year went on, I discovered that I was fully funded during my third month in Nicaragua. During my ninth month, Adventures approached me to Squad Lead for an upcoming World Race. God provided funds and the next chapter of my life.
Here I am on my second World Race as a Squad Leader for my beloved Gap A. Our first country? Guatemala. One of their first ministries? Building a road to a building that didn’t exist. Eventually, it will be Engadi Ranch, a campus for homeless boys to live and get an education. God repeated history because He knew I needed a reminder of His faithfulness. I’m not fully funded for this trip and have no idea what is in store for me when I get back home in May. Once again, my hope is in the Lord.
I have carried this same hope into other aspects of my life. Recently, one of my student loans’ deferment period ended. I was going to defer it again until I got home in May, but God told me not to and to trust Him. All I have is what’s in my bank account with no income coming in. I have enough money for a few payments. I’m completely trusting in the Lord with this one.
I want to be married with kids someday. I want to now what I’m going to do when I get back home. I want to pay off my $18,000 in student loans. There are so many things that I want to see in my future, but I’m not there yet. I’m here, and as long as I’m obedient now, God will provide in the future. Obedience now looks like praying for my future spouse and kids. Obedience now looks like praying into the next chapter of my life. Obedience now looks like not deferring my student loans but deciding to start paying them again now.
Obedience now looks like building the road.
