I cannot believe my squad and I have just passed the 6 month mark of being back in the U.S. For some of us that means we’ve moved to a different city or possibly have stayed at home. For others it means that they’ve met the loves of their lives and are either dating, engaged, or married. Some have moved to other countries and still some have no idea what they are doing. As you might have expected I fall into that last category on some degree.
I found the World Race to be a bag of mixed emotions and feelings for myself. I loved some parts of it and loathed others. I didn’t always agree with leadership decisions or team decisions. I in many ways kind of just went with the flow. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great experience, but I never found myself fully alive as I do now.
(Ukraine Month 5 – Team Blessed Longing)
After “processing” some of my thoughts and feelings about the race with my mentor, Jim Corbett, he asked me the question, “So do you think it was really worth the total $15,500+ to go on this trip?” I sat back for a minute and had to think about it. “Yes.” I had decided. While in many ways the world race was the worst year of my life, it was also the most fruit bearing. In the end God had transformed me into something I don’t think I could have attained staying in little old Mills River, NC. I learned to live in community and now long for it in ways I never thought I would.
Some people have asked me (after hearing about my experience) if I would recommend the World Race to other people. My answer: Everyone’s world race is different. I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if God hadn’t have sent me on this incredible adventure. I wouldn’t have the close friends that I have now if I hadn’t gone and I certainly wouldn’t have been as emotionally free as I am (that is purly thanks to team times! – Special thanks to Team Doulos, Team Blessed Longing, Team Collision and Team Ampersand for puttin up with me for the total of 11 months!) But at the same time I don’t think the world race is for everyone. So, my advice? Pray about it and listen…actually listen. Get quiet, not just for 2 minutes, not for 30, not for any set time. Just go get quiet and listen…it could take you months to hear what God is calling you to! Just enjoy the ride and be present wherever you are.
For me the race is over and it is a bittersweet thing. I miss many of my squad mates and yet at the same time have never been in a better place in my life. I’m currently on ATL (Ask The Lord) going wherever God tells me to go and doing whatever He tells me to do. After traveling through Florida and Louisianna for a month in January and February, God called me back to my hometown of Asheville, NC (Mills River to be exact). I came back here fearing that I would fall into old patterns and life itself would become mundane and meaningless. The Lord has never given me such a mission field to work in before and being here is SO much different that I ever thought it would be.
If you want to catch up with what I have been doing and am about to do, check out my new website! www.generation4thekingdom.com! I will be updating blogs and such soon!
