This week has been one of the craziest, fullest, and most exhausting I have had since being in England. I am so thankful for the wonderful people I met, the amazing and supportive community and church that surrounds me and seeks to serve, and this RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING CITY I live in.
We had the opportunity to host a team of nearly 30 students from Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry (BSSM) for five days and it was transformational for me. You see, I was really nervous before they came because new people stress me out. I don’t like small talk, I like my own space, I like my independence. And these are not bad things in and of themselves but sometimes they hinder me from looking forward to new situations and change.
But this week Ralph, Erik, and I (along with the help of many others) were in charge of providing resources for this team to have the freedom and direction to spread love across Manchester. Practically speaking that looked like finding host homes, organizing spaces to meet, planning outreaches, and figuring out logistics for nearly 30 people which is a lot harder than I remember from the World Race. *shout out to all my fellow logistics leaders, aaayyyoooo!*
But the crazy thing for me was that I essentially became a host for a team in a situation that was paralleled to the hosts I stayed with while traveling on the World Race. And let me tell you fellow World Racers, your hosts do a HUGE amount of work to make your month look the way it does. And it can be harder to host a team than it is to do the work they have for you to do on their own.
The greatest revelation from all this was not having the mindset that teams coming to hosts are burdens but actually the complete opposite. A host values what a team is going to bring so very much that they work double time to allow the freedom and blessings to come to their homes and ministries. And it made me so extremely grateful for the people I worked with on the race.
Some of the amazing things that happened this week were physical healings for a lot of people, support to ministries that needed some extra love and energy, and a wonderful encounter night of worship where amazing words of knowledge were shared and Holy Spirit really showed up. The work God did in my heart alone this week is a miracle. I can’t even fully begin to describe it but I am so thankful for each and every person who walked into our lives this week.
(photo via Karin Parker, one of the BSSM students)
The crazy thing is I only have 10.5 more weeks in this beautiful city. Where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday I was unpacking my things in my attic-converted room dreaming about the things I would get to do here. And even more recently I was celebrating Christmas with two of my favourites in the UK, having been invited into their families for the festivities. How could that have been 3 months ago?
I have been blessed more than I ever imagined. Dreams have been fulfilled that I didn’t even realize I had. Relationships and friendships have been established that have become family. New places have been discovered and new realities of God have been displayed in my life.
And I wouldn’t change a thing about right now.
(photo via Vallory Immel, one of the students on the trip)
But looking back on this week I realize that hindsight truly is 20/20. There are so many things you can’t see in the future, or even the moment of a situation, that are so blatantly obvious once you’ve lived it. Fears about expectations or unanswered questions become obsolete as the problems never arise. Anxiety and worry that marked its place in the pit of your stomach cease to exist as you fully embrace a situation and the newness.
Learning that it’s okay to be wrong has been so freeing for me.
I like to anticipate what is going to happen and prepare for the worst, and the best just in case, but there have been so many times in my life where I haven’t been able to plan because things just happen. Life just happens and you either join in and let go of the little things or you don’t truly live it. The ways I have tried to soften the blow or anticipate an event have actually led me to many mistakes. But a mistake has never been the end for me. If anything it’s a place to learn and experience more of life in the now.
This is why I am so thankful that hindsight is 20/20.
(photo via Karin Parker, one of the BSSM students)
