As I type this, I am sitting at my gate in the Incheon Seoul Airport. In about 5 minutes, I will board a flight to LAX. 11 ½ hours after that, I will walk through Immigration one last time and the World Race will be over.
It seems like just yesterday this crazy, wild-eyed, totally overwhelmed, thirsty for adventure, thinking she was brave but had no idea what she was getting in to, girl was walking into the hotels at launch. But it wasn’t yesterday. It was 11 months ago.
In the last 11 months my feet have walked on the soil of 13 different countries.
In the last 11 months, I have lived and served alongside two different teams.
In the last 11 months I have partnered with 11 different contacts, and served countless ministries.
In the last 11 months, I have loved harder than I have ever attempted to in my entire life.
In the last 11 months, I have learned what bravery looks like; and that I possess such bravery.
In the last 11 months, I have walked through valleys so deep, I could not see the peaks of the mountains I aspired to summit.
In the last 11 months, I have attempted and tried so many new things: from weird fruit and foods, to art mediums, to “different” types of ministry, to adventures, to friendships, and so much more!
In the last 11 months, I have gained a family of 40+ “freaking crazy peeps”, a forever home in H Squad: Joy Squad.
In the last 11 months, I have grown, learned, and been discipled by some of the best coaches, squad leaders, and mentor AIM has to offer.
In the last 11 months, I have accepted a calling that I never in my life EVER thought I would take on.
In the last 11 months, I have shifted my plans for the future from one of continual transition to one pursuing roots.
In the last 11 months, I have seen God work in ways that I never had the faith to even believe possible.
In the last 11 months, the Lord has taken my stone cold heart, and somehow made it something he could use.
In the last 11 months, I have received tough love, with words that brought out the best in me, and turned my experiences with confrontation and feedback upside down.
In the last 11 months, I began a journey that I will hopefully continue to walk on for the rest of my life.
But now my 11 months are done. In 12 hours I will be on American Soil and I will have walk away from everything that made this year so special and life giving. But I refuse to believe that this was the best year of my life. I repeat. This was NOT the best year of my life. Yes, it may have been the best year of my life, so far. But it is not a forever downhill from here. This is not the highest I will ever get in life.
If I have learned one thing this past year, it is that God is so much bigger, better, sweeter, surprising, and loving than I could ever imagine. The things he comes up with will blow your mind if you allow yourself to be moved by him. If you follow his footsteps and listen for the whisper of his spirit. If you choose to take up the wild goose chase, you WILL get the wild goose!
And my life is no exception. SO… let me tell you a little about what the Lord has been up to lately.
As you may have read in this post (If you haven’t read it, I recommend it. It’s quite a funny story how God works!), the Lord called me to teach preschool after completing the Race. He did not, however, give me a place where that was supposed to happen. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Lord gave me the choice to go wherever I wanted. For a long time, I fought against this idea. Thinking that surely the Lord had a specific place that he had in mind for me to go. But the Lord has gently been teaching me how much He cares about the desires of my heart. And that if my intentions and desires line up with his word and his truth, that sometimes choices are available.
And so, I followed my heart and set my sights on the State of Tennessee. Since I started down this journey, people have asked me “Why Tennessee?”. And I don’t really have an answer. I just know that my heart has longed to experience all that Tennessee has to offer, and it sounded like no better or worse option than anything else. So.. Tennessee it was. I began researching and applying to Preschools across the State of Tennessee, eventually narrowing down my search to Knoxville and Chattanooga. It did not take long before I was [unofficially] hired by an excellent, private, church preschool in Chattanooga, TN to be a teacher for a 2 y/o class. I say unofficially because they are waiting on two forms that have to be completed in the US before they can make it official.
My first day of work will be August 24th.. That’s right, one month from yesterday. YIKES! I have so much to do in the next 4 weeks, and have some major needs that have to be met between now and then. But after seeing the Lord at work the last 11 months, I know that ALL things are possible!
So here is a glimpse at what is up and coming for Kat, where/how you can see me before I move to TN, prayer requests, and needs.
Schedule:
-7/25-7/31 I will be in the Los Angeles area staying with a friend from Haiti.
-8/1-8/2 I will be in Indiana at the Kendall Family Reunion
-8/3 I will be in Chattanooga briefly to fill out paperwork, meet my employers, and possibly meeting new roommates. Then we will continue on to Lower Alabama.
-8/4-8/7 I will be in Citronelle, resting, packing, catching up with family.
-8/8-8/9 I will be in Hattiesburg, MS for my brother’s graduation, and to see friends at Venture Church
-8/10-8/16 I will be back in Citronelle with my family.
8/15 I will be at City Hope Church for the Saturday Night Service
8/16 I will be at First Baptist Church Citronelle for the Sunday Morning service
-8/17-8/20 I will be in Gainesville, GA for Project Searchlight: a final, wrap up/transition retreat at AIM for all Squads returning in July.
-8/21 I will drive straight from Gainesville up to Chattanooga and move in to my new apartment and/or room.
-8/24 I start work at the Preschool.
-8/25 -?/? What ever God has planned for me in Tennessee for the next few years, decades, or however long he has for me there!
Prayer Requests:
-PEACE! There are so many things going on in the next few weeks, and I am already starting to get stressed out about it. But I know that I am headed on the path the Lord has set out out for me, so I pray that I can stay rooted in his peace and joy.
-Finances. Lets be real. Despite the countless weekends I spent at the housing site, while others were off adventuring and taking full advantage of the opportunities the WR offers, this year has still managed to demolished my bank account. And while I tried to avoid extravagant adventures, needless purchases, and other bank account draining activities, I am coming home with not much left to my name. And much of that is quickly slipping away before I can even get back to Alabama, due to unexpected expenses. What is left will not get me till my first pay check in TN.. so praying for divine provision and generous hearts between now and then.
-Best Use of Time. Another key lesson I’ve learned this year is that you can squeeze a whole lot out of 4 short weeks, but only if you are intentional! It is easy to be swept away by the distractions of no schedules (also known as 12 hour naps), wifi, movies, etc. and to miss our on those four weeks entirely. That is not my goal. My goal is to use what I’ve learned this year about making the most of my time by being diligent with the time I have with friends and family. Yes, rest and time to process the transition is very needed – and will be done. But I also don’t want to “rest” my month away and not get in the quality time I have with my family.
Needs:
-Prayer! (See Above)
-Gift Cards (Gas Cards, Walmart, Target, Publix, Prepaid Visa/Master Cards, etc). These will help bridge the gap with groceries and gas money until my first paychecks start to roll in.
-Cash/Check Donations. This is 2-fold.
*I am still $470 short of completing my fundraising for AIM. Even though the Race is over, I still have to fulfill the commitment I made to AIM. They have been beyond gracious in letting me finish out the rest of my Race without making my deadlines, but I am not “off the hook” now that the Race is over. I will still continue fundraising until the full amount has been raised.
*There are several things that need to be paid for between now and moving to TN, and I just don’t have the cash left to cover these. Just to give you an idea, here are some of the things that need to be covered in the upcoming days/weeks:
-Transportation from/to LAX and my friend’s house where I will be staying (Approx $80)
-Food in CA ($50-100? *I’m used to World Race budget.. AKA the ability to live off of $4 a day, which I’m guess will be about half of one meal in CA? My wallet aches just thinking about it!)
-Luggage Fees to IND ($35)
-Dr. Appointment for check up and physical to finalize paperwork for Preschool ($200)
-Project Searchlight fee ($55)
-Gas for traveling to MS, GA, and TN. ($100ish?)
-Down payments for apartment utilities/rent, etc. ($500-$1,000)
As you can see, I’ve got a lot of big purchases coming up in the next few weeks. I hate the idea of having to continue to fundraise, especially for personal expenses, after my mission is complete. But The Lord has promised to be faithful and provide.. I need only ask and have faith.
To donate directly to my PayPal to cover cash expenses, please send to [email protected]. **Please note: Donations given through my blog will ONLY go towards my AIM amount. To donate towards my personal expenses, please donate via Paypal or in person. Thanks!
Ok…. So this has been a LOT of words. I apologize! There are just so many things that I keep meaning to share but haven’t had the time to sit down and type out. If you have any questions about any of the things I’ve written about here OR if you want to donate, feel free to click the “contact me” link and send me an email! I hope this brings some light into what is up and coming for me in the next few weeks and months. I can’t thank you enough for your prayers, support, and love through this journey. It has been an incredible experience, and I could not have done it without you, my support team! Keep an eye out for a few wrap-up videos and blogs — to come hopefully in this next month.
