In less than five hours, I will be on my way to the airport to begin my long, trans-Pacific journey from Beijing to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for my newest adventure: World Race Training Camp!! I'm looking forward to meeting my teammates and to learning a bit more about some of the specifics of our journey.
I have to admit a bit of anxiety, though… My camping experience is very limited, and despite setting up my tent multiple times in my living room, I'm still feeling like a novice. The first time I set my tent up, put my sleeping pad out, and unrolled my sleeping bag, I literally crawled in and cried. I think the reality of this journey finally started to hit, and I was nearly overwhelmed by the swell of emotions that came with the realization that I will be saying goodbye to this chapter of my life in Beijing very soon. It's hard to imagine saying goodbye to one of the best seasons of my life…but I have to believe (and I do believe, indeed) that God has something better planned for me ahead… something truly life-changing.
I'm honestly going to Training Camp with zero expectations. Just two hopes… one, that my back doesn't go out as a result of my massive back pack… and two (way, way, way more importantly), that God would be lifted high, and that His Spirit would just rock my socks and instill in me a deeper passion to surrender completely to His calling to the World Race. I think part of me has been pretty guarded over the past couple of months… partly because there was so much else going on between then and now…but also partly because I don't think the reality had quite sunk in yet that Training Camp would suddenly bring the World Race into focus.
I admit one thing that I know God has been working on in my own life. I have been thinking a lot about how life is going to be with my teammates this coming year, as our backgrounds and experiences contrast so starkly. Many of them have never left the US before… whereas I've spent two-thirds of my life living in "foreign" countries (or countries other than that of my citizenship). I'm sure we'll have much to learn from each other, but I've already been praying for an extra dosage of His patience and grace whenever my teammates encounter cultural things outside of their comfort zone… and I guess I should also be praying for their patience with me, too!! I know that we all have a steep learning curb ahead of us… new cultures, new languages, new peoples, new traditions… but always the same desire to know Him and make Him known.
So, without further adieu, I bid you all farewell as I enjoy three and a half hours of sleep in my nice, comfy bed. It will be a long and busy ten days before I get to enjoy it again!
P.S. God has been doing some sweet things through support raising. I'm currently at 63% of my total support raising needs. It has definitely been a journey of faith as I depend on His promise… "Not by might or by power, but by My Spirit." I'm so grateful that I have the unfailing promises of the God of the Universe! 🙂 Praise God for what He's already done, and Praise Him all the more for what He will do!
