Believe it or not, this weekend marks a YEAR since my return from the World Race!
And
what a whirlwind of a year it’s been…
I want to say thank you to those of you who were so supportive…prayerfully, financially, and
emotionally…I honestly felt like you were right there with me, rooting me on. Since
being back in the States I have been on quite ANOTHER faith journey altogether.
I realize that I have fallen off the grid a bit, especially when I hear
questions like “Where in the world are you now?”
Well, for starters – I am currently living in
Gainesville, Georgia, working with Adventures in Missions…the organization that started the World Race. This past summer when I was living in
Virginia, still job hunting, the Lord opened a door for me to lead a missions
trip with my friend and team leader from the Race. She had twisted her ankle and
sent me a text asking if I was free to come to Washington D.C. that week. I
responded “Sure! Why not?”
We spent the week working with an amazing youth group
from Mississippi… cooked all their meals, did community service projects, and ministered to inner city kids in our nation’s capital. We happened to be there
when a storm hit so there was no power in DC for several days (in 100
degree weather). We were sleeping on the floor of a church with no electricity,
showers, cell phone service, or internet. It felt like being back overseas but
it was awesome!
From there, I received another message, asking me to help
serve for Project Searchlight, a week-long conference AIM has for World Race alumni. I drove from D.C. to Georgia and also helped with training camp for 4 new squads just getting ready to launch. As
I was driving back to Virginia, I got a call asking me to step in and lead a
missions trip to Haiti. A leader had come down sick and they needed someone to fill in ASAP.
“So when would I fly out?” I asked.
“Uhhhhh,
is tomorrow too soon?”
What… am I Jason Bourne? 🙂
That trip was such a stretching and humbling experience
for me. I was leading a group of over twenty adults from all around the United
States, including 3 pastors, and there was little old me…who arrived just an
hour before the group and had never even been to Haiti before. (God loves it when we do things which are bound to fail without Him). It was tough at the beginning to rise above insecurities but ended up being an incredible week of ministry and personal growth for sure.
After I returned home I was asked to do a month long
recruiting tour with the marketing department. I took a flight to Chicago where
I met up with two other WR alumni and we traveled through Illinois, South
Dakota, Wisconsin, and Alabama sharing about missions opportunities. This was something I knew I wanted to do even
on the Race so it was exciting to see it became a reality. I got to speak with
hundreds of people and it was neat to pray with individuals and be a part of so
many life changing journeys in small way.
I figured if God kept opening doors, I would just keep
stepping through in faith…which led to the decision to continue working with missions this Fall. I was even blessed with the opportunity to live with the amazing family of the organization’s president and founder,(http://www.sethbarnes.com/).
We never know which direction the winds may blow in life. I felt
like God was telling me to extend my sails and
live the adventure He’s got in store for me. Even in the midst of uncertain
waters and uncharted territories I think we are meant to enjoy the ride. This year has certainly led me through a
series of choppy waters though! Lots of highs and lows… and everything in
between. Coming off a spiritual Cloud 9
it was a difficult adjustment to re-enter ‘normal life’ in America. As you may or may not know, I was engaged to be married shortly after coming home and by summertime, well…I wasn’t. That is quite a
long story of course, but I can honestly say that walking through that journey has
drawn me closer to Lord than any other season of my life, INCLUDING everything
experienced on the World Race. When things get hard, we always have the option of fleeing away from God, or running straight back into His arms.
I have learned in a very personal way
that God is the only one who can help us navigate through the toughest storms
of life. One of the verses I have clung to lately is from Psalm 46,
“God
is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will
not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of
the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their
surging.”
Whatever situation you are facing today–in need of a physical healing, financial miracles, or restored hope from a broken heart– just know that God sees you and has not forgotten you. He knows your name… and even if you feel far away remember that you are never off HIS grid.
Please email me at [email protected] and let me know how you are doing!
