Y’all!! I’m home!
That’s right, you can re-read that as many times as you want and you’ll read the same thing every time. I am officially STATESIDE!!
Woah!! I’m home!? Is this real?? I’ve had the idea of actually finishing this last year of my life overseas in the back of my head for so long! Now that I’m actually home and that season of my life is done, it initially felt so incredibely surreal. But sure enough, I have finished the Word Race and I am back in small town America living life to the fulllest in Kansas like I do best.
It’s like I Forgot How to Blog!
Let’s be honest everyone. I’m not here to beat around the bush. I completely left you high and dry! I know that I very suddenly stopped blogging and as a result very suddenly stopped keeping you as my friends, family, and supporters informed on my trip this last year. I swear it’s like I forgot how to blog!
So without wasting anymore time let’s get two things straight!!
Thing #1
I’m sorry. I need to apologize for with-holding from you all what God has been doing during my time overseas pursuing ministry and missions wherever I could find it. I truly hope that you can forgive me for robbing you in this way. There are some reasons for my tardiness in keeping y’all updated, but ultimately they shouldn’t have kept me from doing the right thing by buckling down, and coming to you with consistent updates!
Here’s a brief summary of why I “fell off the face of the earth”:
– I became a raised up Squad Leader. That’s a fancy name for one of three leaders who’s job is to lead, love, serve, and look after the squad of people that I was traveling with all year. As soon as I accepted the position my responsibilities changed drastically. My mission and reason for being on the trip became something else almost entirely. I had to re-prioritize from making the strangers and ministries I was partnering with in every country my primary focus to my squad family. My fellow missionaries. My ministry was to shepherd and to disciple them in order for them to be as filled as possible to go out and minister to the lost everywhere we went.
All of this to say I became flooded with new responsibilities and I lost almost all free time for myself so that I could make my focus not my mission, but OUR mission as a squad of 43 brothers and sisters in Christ.
– I also began to struggle more and more in every country after Central America looking for, and finding, WiFi. Even when I found it, the WiFi connection was generally terrible and far from strong enough to upload even a blog. I, unfortunately, lost heart very quickly and stopped trying to post updates through this blog.
– Lastly, when I did have good wifi, my time online was almost always spent coordinating with leadership and fellow team mates on the squad. I was always a part of planning for the month ahead and checking in on teams to see how they were doing emotionally, spiritually, and looking out for their safety. Simply put… I became very overwhelmed and focused on my people with me instead of my people stateside. You guys.
Again, none of these are excuses. They are simply realities of why I chose to stop and I am so very sorry!
Thing #2
With all that being said, I am starting now!!! That’s right. I will be posting one blog to recap and summarize for each month that I failed to fill you in on what country we were in and what we were doing. If I’m able to get a hold of some pictures of each month I will do my very best to share those as well.
Now I know what you’re thinking, and rightly so. You’re thinking, “Daniel put your money where your mouth is man!” So in order to do just that, I’m posting the first one directly after this announcement! Please check it out and see what God was doing where I was in Malaysia! One of the most entertaining countries I got to visit.
Thank y’all for your grace and patience with me! I genuinely hope you enjoy what I have been living out for the last year! God has shown me and taught me so much. I want to share what I can with you so you can celebrate with me the cultures and spiritual victories God has blessed me with.
God bless!
