” nine eight seven papa kilo on final for runway two seven”
This is it. Month eleven. September squads are on their way home. The senior squad out there is my squad. October 2010 S-squad. We are the squad that is stepping into some big shoes. We are the squad that everyone is looking up to. We have to set a good example to those who are yet to come and show them how to finish strong in month eleven.
We are tired. We are exhausted. We are seasoned. But amidst all those physical attributes, we are still hungry for more of what the Lord has to offer. We have the opportunity to finish our incredible journey after the Lord in a NEW country. Three months of Africa has been rough, but India will be a fresh start. Just as Jesus washed away all of our sins and gave us a clean slate, we too will fly into India with a clean slate. We will be refreshed and the exhaustion or tiredness will be gone, in Jesus name! We will be entering a land of strong oppression amongst the people and a land of a thousand gods. The one TRUE God has sent us there to help clear up any confusion and HIS army cannot be tired or weary.
Just like a flight on an airplane, we all must land at some point. As an aviation admirer this is how I compare the World Race to a flight.
Push back/taxi: Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The journey has started and we are taxiing to our runway for departure.
Take off/climb to cruising altitude/cruising altitude: Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia. This part of the World Race is where things run smoothly and we enjoy the journey that God has sent us on.
Descent:Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania: This is where things start to wind down. We are still going full force after the Lord, but are slowly making our way to arrival
FINAL APPROACH: India. This is what it all comes down to. Precision is key as we must make sure everything is intact in order to make a smooth landing. We must use all the knowledge we’ve gained throughout the journey to FINISH strong and keep our eyes fixed on the runway (Jesus!).
Landing: New York City. Arrival Complete.
It’s hard to image that 10 months ago I felt like I was starting the longest stretch of my life. When in reality it has been very quick. India seemed SO far away. But that “far away” is only two days away as we are scheduled to fly to New Delhi on the 31st of July.
The last part of the Race for me has been more about my relationship with the Lord. Whereas the first part was more about ministry. I’ll be honest, African ministry hasn’t been my favorite and we have had lots of downtime. I’ve been using that downtime to really press in to who the Lord really is. I’m reaching in to seek HIS glory and engulf myself in HIS presence. I’ve found out that when I ask to be in HIS presence He wraps His arms around me. I feel delighted and joyful as I know my God is right by me. But, I will say that as I enjoy more and more of the Lord each day, the more the enemy reaches out to attack me. A few weeks ago I had some of the greatest days enjoying the Lord’s presence, which was later followed by a few days of attacks from the enemy and me struggling to find the Lord. It was a difficult few days as I was just bucky about everything. I was a jerk to my teammates, I secluded myself, and the enemy fed me lies and it just ate away at me. It took a lot of prayer and conversation to finally dig myself out, but my God saved me.
He assured me that He never lets go of me. That I am loved no matter the situation. That no matter how hard the enemy tries to get at me-He is always there…watching over me…protecting me.
I knew before I even left that the World Race just wasn’t about ministry. I knew that my relationship with the Lord was going to grow and go places I had never thought it could go. As each day passes I seem to find God’s glory more and more each day.
