So much…
Gosh! Where to start…first of all, I’ve missed you. I am now in Siem Reap, Cambodia! Our last ministry in Laos was amazing! We could’t post much, but we were so blessed to be on a farm out in rural Laos. Some big things happened last month, besides cleaning pigs and playing with precious 3 year olds and teaching English and celebrating Christmas in a closed country!
Here is our “Shake it Off” Beloved Warriors MUSIC VIDEO from last month made by Leah!
Always, THANK YOU for your prayers and support! It’s been a joy to hear where some of you are on your own life journeys, as well! “Missions” is wherever you are…people are wherever you are! Opportunities are everywhere! Keep going! You encourage me with your thoughts and stories and lives!
Teams have changed here, as you might have noticed. Please continue to pray for us…all of us! We are all in a new phase of The Race in many different ways! You are prayed for!!! We need your prayers…wisdom as we walk and run this journey together!
Here are some pics of my new team…from left…Ashley, Steph, me, Justin!
Our awesome band pic…Yeah…we rock ;o)!
Here’s an update from me personally…I’m learning about vulnerability! Yep, that word. How many of you are still reading now :o)? Why do we all cringe a bit? So, we live in community literally 24/7. If we go somewhere, it is with another racer. You eat, sleep, and well, no, if you complete this phrase, you don’t do that together, but that’s pretty close to the only alone time you get on The Race. Vulnerability…it’s the buzz word here. And I am digging and in some ways, diving, into it.
What does it (The Bible) say about living in the light, being open, and learning and speaking into our fellow believers’ lives…ourselves included? Well, one thing is for sure, when you live with people all the time, there is no room to “hide.” Right now I’m in a small room with 6 girls and no floor space when we’re all set up to sleep! And here is the next question…Why do we hide? What do we hide? And where does it go when it is hidden?
So, I’m going to bring us all into a community right now. One big community of humanness. You are human. I am human. Your neighbor that you love is human. The one on the other side…yeah, also human. We all let as much in and as much out as we choose. Sometimes it’s easier with some than with others to feel safe, comfortable, and known. Sometimes, it just works. Other times, not so much. This year is stretching in that you don’t get to choose. You don’t get to choose when you have a rough day and you can’t just go retreat. You can’t choose when something triggers an area that you’ve worked on diligently in “real life” but it’s resurfacing. You don’t get to even choose which struggles present themselves. But you do get to choose a few things. You do get to choose to be the most human you’ve ever been. You do get to “confess your sins one to another” and see the walls break down. You do get to choose the road that leads to freedom.
Want to know something funny? The things I’m working on hit off of each other. Just realized that one today.
In my life I have been so joyful, so full of life, and I have also battled self-condemnation and intimidation. There it is! How about you? If you notice, you’ll find they hit off each other. SO, one cool thing…you start saying things out loud, even to yourself to start, and the thing is, you get this inspiration to be done AND you see more clearly that by getting rid of one thing and taking it to God, you get rid of a root…and take down many things…and that my friends, brings freedom!
I’m going to revisit this in my life, but I do have some homework for you. First of all, write out your thoughts. God’s first question to man was, “Where are you?” Did God lose Adam and Eve? NO. He was asking that question for their sake. He asks you every day. Where are you in relation to God? Where are you in relation to your family and friends? Where are you in relation to yourself? How are you doing in these areas? Press in. Figure it out. Go there.
There’s a quote that says, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” LIFE! It’s your choice…choose wisely…and go LIVE it!!!
