It’s been about 3 months since my last blog. It feels like it was just 3 weeks ago! Time flies when you’re having fun/working hard/living without WiFi, I guess. I wanted to touch base with all of you just to share a few things. This may get kind of long, but I beg you to read it all. Thanks 🙂
{{MY RACE IS ALMOST OVER}}
Next week is my last week of ministry left on the World Race. Can you believe it?! My final month here in South Africa has had some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows. But I am determined to finish this thing strong, and enjoy every moment of my last days. Please pray that I will not quit so close to the finish line! It is EXTREMELY easy to just “check out” and think about my return to home, my reunions with loved ones and food! So many dreams of familiar and comforting food! Haha! But pray that I’d stay present; that I will keep my mind and my heart where my feet are until our last day. And that I can keep working hard everyday and then focus on home at debrief. My squad has our final debrief in Cape Town; it’s a time of fun, relaxation and reflection on how the past 11 months have forever changed us and a time to finally switch our focus to being 100% set on Home!!!
I am so excited to come home and I cannot thank all of you enough for your financial, prayerful and emotional support throughout this entire year. And as this paragraph is titled: my race is almost over, BUT…..
{{MY JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN}}
This year has opened up my mind and heart to new experiences and new ways of living, serving, & loving. I wrote in my journal last month that “the World Race didn’t begin at launch and it won’t end at final debrief”.
That sentence has been rolling around in my mind for a long time and I’m excited to know that my desire to love the unloved and serve the marginalized and to care for orphans will NOT end when this journey ends. And the people and places that God used to transform me and educate me will NOT be forgotten either.
I am returning to the States a changed person and subsequently, my life back in America will be changed,too.
I’m not returning to my classroom in Jacksonville; I’m not even returning to teaching at all. I’m going to my hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio, to start a new chapter in my personal, professional and spiritual life. It’s very exciting and I can’t wait to tell you about it in Part 2 of this blog update!!
But for now, I’ll say this:
I used to hate it when speakers at graduation ceremonies would give the inevitable “it’s called commencement because this isn’t the end for you graduates, it’s the beginning!” speech. It seemed so cliche and contrived to me. But now, as I sit here, 1 week away from being a World Race graduate, so to speak, that idea of this not being the end, but the beginning is echoing in my mind. Yes, this journey is coming to a close, but it is also the beginning of what I am believing will be a beautiful, exciting new chapter.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog update! It’s coming soon!
