Well friends, the time has come to start this adventure. My launch and final training starts tomorrow. Tomorrow! I can’t describe to you how excited, nervous and very peaceful I feel right now. Our training will be a few days in Washington, DC and then we will leave for Mozambique later this week. Can you believe it?
Preparing to leave these past few weeks has constantly reminded me the importance of being present. I’m not very good at this. It’s always been important to be to really be with the people that I’m spending time with while I’m with them. But prepping for this race has been teaching me more about the importance of appreciating where I am when I’m there.
“Bloom where you’re planted.” “The moment you’re in is a gift and that’s why it’s called the present.” “Don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will bring its own troubles.” However you want to say it, I want to learn how to really be where I am. Leaving my Denver home for my Virginia Beach home has taught me this, too. When your heart is in two places at the same time, it can be difficult to really be where you are. It can feel like you have no home and two homes at the same time. Adding 11 more counties into the mix will be interesting. I pray that my heart will just keep growing.
I think that being present will be so, so important to have at the forefront of my mind these next 11 months. I don’t want to miss this experience. I want to be present this last day with my family. I want to completely invest my energy into learning while at launch. I want to open my heart to each country, culture, ministry and person that I have the privilege to be introduced to this next year.
As I have been getting ready to jump into these next 11 months, I have been overwhelmed by people’s support and God’s provision. I am so very thankful. I have the most amazing family who has supported me in every way. I’m so thankful for each of them. I have faithful friends who have been excited for me. I have had strangers interested in this ministry and what God is doing all over the world. I have had overwhelming financial and prayer support from dear friends, churches, even strangers. I am so thankful for each person who is involved with my World Race. Each of you who have supported me is now a part of this story that the Lord is writing.
I am so thankful for my Father’s provision, giving me everything and more than I need. As I have been packing (and packing and packing, trying to fit everything into my pack) I kept thinking, “Do I have all I need?!” And yesterday I felt him assure me, “Emily, I am all you need. I am more than enough.” He is taking care of me. I’m so very thankful.
The past two months I have increasingly felt like I am on a roller-coaster. Not the thrilling, scary, exhilarating, actual ride part. Not yet. But on the track that is climbing, climbing, climbing to that first drop. The anticipation part. There have been many moments that have made up these past months. Moments of total calm. Moments when I have felt restless and wondered if I’ll ever get to the actual ride part of the experience. And moments of panic when that I have looked down and realized how high I have climbed. All that to say, now sitting at the top of this first drop, I’m so very excited, a bit scared out of my mind but mostly so glad that I got on this ride.
Here we gooo!
