I‘m watching The Amazing Race as 12 teams set out on their 12 leg worldwide journey tonight. I can’t help but notice the similarities as these teams grab their backpacks and fly out of LAX exactly 1 year after we flew out of the same airport beginning our own worldwide adventure.
1 year ago…I strapped 45 lbs of tent, sleeping bag, clothes (well, life actually) on my back, another 20 lbs of life essentials (you know, like an iPod and computer…essentials) on my front and picked up my 15 lb guitar, hoping I wouldn’t regret lugging it all around the world. (I didn’t.)
I checked in for my flight from Atlanta to LA and sat down to one last meal and goodbye with my parents. (Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich.)
I stood up to go through security, realized I couldn’t find my passport and tried to stay calm as I decided this wasn’t the best way to begin my trip. (While my mom went to check the bathroom, I found it in the tiniest pocket imaginable in my purse. I never put it there again. And I didn’t lose it again either!)
I boarded my flight and had the last few hours of alone time I’d have for the entire year. I guess I wasn’t technically alone since I was surrounded by other passengers, but you take what you can get.
I was ridiculously excited, a little nervous, and nowhere near prepared for everything I would experience this last year. From loving Rosario in the Philippines to gaining a sister named Lilly in China. From wrestling with faith in Uganda to fighting injustice in India, the Lord gave me glimpses of His heart. More than that, He began to give me pieces of His heart. His heart to lavish his love on all his children. His heart to set the captives free. His heart to bring life in every place of death.
And so somewhere along the way, I knew this trip was about much more than a year. It was about much more than an 11 month road trip. My eyes were opened and new places inside of me were woken up. And there is a whole generation out there longing for this Awakening, whether they know it or not.
So…what’s next for me? Beginning in October, I’ll be going on staff with the World Race to work with field support and training. Equipping my generation to continue pursuing the Lord and His Kingdom. Practically, that will mean moving to Michigan where there’s a whole community of World Race alumni and traveling regularly to run Training Camps for squads getting ready to go on the field and overseas to encourage squads throughout their year. It will mean upgrading my Skype account to keep in touch with racers while they’re on the field. It will mean using the gifts and passions the Lord has given me to mobilize this generation.
I’m super excited about this next step the Lord has shown me. I’ll keep updating this blog and would love for you to keep praying for me as I transition into this new role. I will also continue to be raising support so if you’d like to support me financially, you can click on the ‘Support Me!’ link on the left. I cannot thank you enough for making this last year possible and for continuing to make it possible for me to serve the Lord in this way!
Yep, I added them up and I slept in 89 spots this year. I guess bed isn’t really accurate because most of them were on the ground. That’s not counting a couple overnight flights and bus rides. Since I’ve been home, I’ve slept in 4 already. Why stop?
