“Why is her blog titled, ‘Soup Night?'”
Well, Soup Night is where several members from my church meet every other Monday where there is sometimes soup, lol, but basically where we get together and pray and are real with one another. Soup Night has changed my life these past few months and have helped me in rough times. The people that attend this are like my family whom I love DEARLY.
At Soup Night tonight (yesterday now that it’s well past midnight), we grilled out and celebrated a awesome lady’s birthday who usually hosts it with her husband, and did what we usually do. Pray for one another.
Tonight, for the first time, it really hit me hard how much I was going to miss everyone not only there, but everyone at my church and my family. I literally felt like my heart was shaking because of the overwhelming emotion that fell on me. I couldn’t stop the tears, they were coming down like waterfalls.
There is a couple that just moved here, and the wife was talking about how the season she was in was like a season of death. Before they had moved, they were planted in an awesome church in New Hampshire and were deeply involved with everything and had great friendships. When they got the call from God to move, it was rough. When she was talking about how she was feeling, I felt like God was telling me I was about ready to enter that same season.
My brother is leaving for boot camp for the National Guard on May 10th, and his graduation isn’t until the middle of July so I won’t get to see him before I leave.
Also, my squad all got an e-mail about inviting our parents to come to Georgia with us for launch. They would be able to attend several meetings to know what we will be going through and how to cope. They will spend time with us…and have a “final goodbye lunch” with us before we launch. Just typing that makes me want to cry.
As excited as I am, I’m equally as sad. It’s hard to explain. I’m so excited because I’ve gotten close to several people in my squad family, and it feels like we keep getting closer and closer. I love them all and am SO EXCITED to spend training camp with them in just a MONTH! We have talked and talked on GroupMe, Facebook and Zoom, and it’s just made me more certain that this is the group of amazing people I’m supposed to do this with! I’m so glad I listened to God about going on this route! Huge blessing!
And as much as I love this amazing group of people who will be my family for a year, I’m going to miss my family and church family here so much. I’m sad about missing babies being born, friends getting married, my brother’s graduation from boot camp, my family’s and friends’ birthday(s)…the list goes on and on. You’ll probably read a thousand blogs saying the same thing, but if you get called to do this, I can almost guarantee you, you will end up feeling like this.
I’m not writing this for a pity party. I’m just writing this to be vulnerable, to be real. I know that I am right where God wants me and that I’m doing what He wants me to do. I am thankful and so amazed that the creator of the universe, calls me His daughter and is asking me to do the World Race with amazing, beautiful people.
There is just more dying I have to do. I’ve heard someone say, “Being a Christian requires dying many deaths,” or something along those lines. Boy, that’s the truth. But dying to myself, dying to yourself….it’s so, so worth it.
Please be praying for my squad and me. I know I’m not the only one feeing like this, and at times it can be painful.
With love,
Meraia
