I had it all planned out when I was a wee little freshman in college, still wet behind the ears. I always bugged my brother when he would get married until he actually did get married three years ago. When I asked he would always just smile and never really give me a straight answer. I never could tell what he was thinking behind those eyes. Maybe because they were just too darn squinty. However little he did or didn’t plan, that wasn’t going to be me. I would graduate at 22, work a job straight out of college for a year and then marry and finally have kids by the time I was 25.

I know. Grand, right?

I have young parents, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I too wanted to have my own kids at a young age.
For those who had your hopes up.. I turn 25 in less than half a year. And I only fulfilled the subgoal of graduating from college. Whoops.

What’s that verse?
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
That’s pretty applicable.

I graduated college, didn’t satisfy any other section of my beautiful plan, and instead spent a year traveling radically and living simply and loving deeply and showing people Jesus as best as I knew how. That also included me being shown Jesus by many, many other and gracious people.

It was one of the most glorious and hardest years of my life.

So when I was on the Race I said, ‘Alright. I’m going to go home to America, visit people, move to Raleigh, get a job, get married and have kids.’ And do you know what the Lord whispered to me? Standing on a stage in a Russian church in a small town of Latvia in the snowy month of April, right after having given my testimony, He whispered ‘Go squad lead‘.

I said, ‘Shoo Jesus, you crazy. I’m past that. And I haven’t even finished this race.’ I didn’t really say all that. But I thought that. And I felt that. And in truth, another World Race, even if it was squad leading, was the last thing on my mind. And I mean THE LAST thing on my mind. I’ve already been there, and physically was still there, so why go out again?

Over the past 6 months, I wrestled with that question a lot. Until I came to an answer. And once again my plans have been dashed. 
Broken.
Changed.
Bamboozled.

I didn’t move to Raleigh. I didn’t get a job. I didn’t get married. I didn’t have kids. Why? Because although I’ve been there, I’m going back again.

I’m leaving in January, with the absolute necessity of the Lord’s help, to help lead a group of crazy people that have adventure in their spirit, a fire in their belly, and a yes on their lips. And by golly, we’ll invite people of different cultures and tribes and tongues to experience this radical person of Jesus and in turn we’ll step into His presence as well.

Why go out again?
Because when people experience the presence of Jesus, they can’t help but be changed again and again and again and again.

And again.

And man, when change like that happens, plans just seem to fall apart.

 

Thank God. 

Will you support me along another journey, one that helps cultivate a greater love for the Lord and a greater love for His people?


Thank you for everyone who supported me the past year and a half! I sincerely hope you’ll join me again for the next six months. If you do not wish to receive any more emails, please let me know and I’ll remove you from the list.