Just kidding, I highly doubt I would get kicked off the World Race for this.
But I know my family and friends back home would like an update. Why? Well because I’m almost always asked these three questions (usually in this order):
- “How is (fill in the country I am currently in)?”
- “What is your ministry like?”
- “How are you and Rachael doing?”
Since I’ve written blogs concerning the first two questions, I figured I should address the third. So today I want to talk about how I have grown in my relationship with my girlfriend Rachael (rachaelpaz.theworldrace.org).
But first, just to be safe:
DISCLAIMER:
I do not support the pursuit of any new romantic relationships budding on the Race. This is not a time to seek affirmation from the opposite sex or cling to an unhealthy relationship. This is a time for you to follow God and grow closer to Him. If it is His will for you to start a relationship with Mr. Rico Suave on your squad, then it will happen. But you have to allow His will to be done.
Signed = Jacob Johnson
So now that that is done, here’s a short recap what our relationship was like before the Race:
We had already been dating for a little bit when we found out that we both had started applications to the World Race. We talked about what that meant, whether someone should stay back or not, or if we should continue the relationship. But I went into the relationship prayerfully and we started the relationship at a “spiritually high” time in both our lives. So we stayed together.
It was very hard at first, 11 months is a long time for sure. Especially if you know that even if you have wifi, it’s no garuntee that the other will. But we prayed… a lot. And now here we are, on the race, together, but apart at the same time. It was cool preparing for the race, both of us shopping for the supplies together, talking about our squads and World Race culture etc.
Anyways, last month in Cambodia (Mozambique for her) neither of us had internet. At the beginning of the month, I was terrified. How would I do it? How can I go a month without contact from her? At the end of the month when I finally got to talk to Rachael, we saw that God taught us both very similar things in the past month. Lessons we (especially me) needed to learn before we move forward with our relationship. And, unfortunately for us, these lessons required that we be apart. Here are the 3 main things that we both have learned:
#1 = We learned to seek affirmation from God instead of seeking affirmation from each other.
Sounds simple enough, but this was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. It seemed natural for me to rely on Rachael for things I should have been relying on God for. And fighting what feels natural is difficult. I can honestly say now that I find my peace in God, not in Rachael.
#2 = We learned to trust God with the other (ex. I learned to trust God with Rachael).
I thought I was done with this once we left on the Race. I mean, I trusted God enough to let her go away for 11 months right?? Wrong. I found I was still dissatisfied with where He had both of us. Becoming content with His will is hard, especially when He wants us to do things we don’t want to do, which also ties into the last one:
#3 = That He has us both exactly where we need to be.
She is changing lives and expanding the Kingdom in different parts of the world. I’m not happy to admit it, but it took me a while to be excited about this. I like to blame it on my “rebellious instinct” that I am still currently working on. But now I love it! She’s doing huge things, and it is awesome to see how God uses her!
Some months are easy, some months are hard. We are both learning to trust in Him more and more each day. Our friends, family and squads have become super supportive of us, encouraging us, and always pushing us towards Christ. It’s like I had heard about sixteen thousand times at youth groups: The closer you grow to God, the closer you will grow to each other. It’s honestly true, and it works even when you’re both thousands of miles away!
So to answer the questions 1. “How are you and Rachael doing?” 2. “Do you guys get to talk a lot?” 1. We are doing very well! It’s awesome that we get to share similar experiences these next 11 months, and seeing her grow is the most satisfying thing in this world! 2. We get to talk more than I anticipated, we send short emails debriefing the day (but sometimes I forget). So when we talk, we talk like a normal couple. BUT: we are both trying to stay focused on our ministries and time with people here and not try to be obsessed with talking to each other all the time (my teammate Jake holds me accountable to that).
All in all, we have grown a lot, and our relationship has gotten so much better! I’m not going to lie, it is extremely difficult most days, but God continues to give us His supernatural peace and strength to push forward! Just like Jacob & Rachel in the Bible, we are not even close to the perfect example of a Christ-centered relationship, and we know that there is so much more that He wants us to learn before we move forward with our relationship, but we are now excited and willing to see how much more we will grow together while apart.
And it’s not all bad, sometimes you just happen to see someone in the capitol of Malaysia.
(Beginning of month 5/end of month 4!)
God truly does answer prayer!
Thanks for reading!
