“What will you do after the race?”
It’s a question I get all the time. It’s a question that can feel frustrating when we still have 5 incredible months still ahead. However, it’s a valid question, seeing as I’m basically a senior in college again, about to embark on a huge life transition. Everyone wants to know what’s next. I understand this feeling, because I, too, want to know what’s next. God’s pushed a few doors open just a crack as I have traveled around this year, and I would like to tell you about one of them that’s particularly out of the box and potentially exciting.
One day in Cambodia, my teammate and I found ourselves in an incredible conversation at a YWAM conference. It was a long list of pretty odd coincidences that brought us there, including attending cross fit classes, falling off a bike, taking a day off teaching, and my teammate’s obsession with cats. We weren’t sure we were allowed to be there without registering or paying, but we took the chance. The conference was incredible. The founder of YWAM, Loren Cunningham, was there speaking about the Great Commission and the ways our generation can fulfill it. The mayor was there, and gave his blessing the conference because of all the good Christians have done for the country, even though he himself isn’t a believer. A man from Cameroon was introduced as having 7 books of the bible memorized, and gave the most beautiful and stirring preaching of the book of Revelation. I wish you could have been there, because I cannot explain the presence of God that he brought to that room. That sermon is where my story begins.
After eating lunch with the security staff of the conference (because we knew noon else) we wandered over to some book sellers before our next session. Allison wanted to buy a book for a child she’d met near our home, and at the children’s book table, she saw that same man who’d preached Revelations standing along, patiently waiting for something. His name was Jackson. She began talking with him a bit about the World Race (it’s always an interesting conversation starter), then called me over to meet him as well. I told him how much I’d enjoyed his sermon. He spoke very slowly (which I’ve come to learn often means someone hears clearly from the Lord… but also often makes me uncomfortable as someone who speaks very quickly) and asked if we could meet him to talk about how we may be able to work together in the future. After telling him we’d only be in Cambodia for a few more days, he said, “then 2pm today?” It was settled.
That afternoon, we left during one of the sessions to go meet Jackson. Once again, I wish that I could explain to you the feelings I had in this meeting, But I won’t do them justice. First, we prayed. Jackson asked that the Holy Spirit make it abundantly clear why we were there. He asked us to share our stories; how we’d grown up, what our educational background was, and what are hopes and dreams for the future were. Allison shared her background in politics and newfound love for teaching, and I shared my passion for sustainable community development through business, my education in acting music and performance, and my recently discovered interest in reaching private sector leaders to systematically impact a nation. We asked Jackson to tell us the same about himself. After explaining a lot about his background growing up as a breadwinner for a large family in Cameroon, his current life with YWAM and his family in Kona Hawaii, he told us about what he’s working on for the future. Jackson will soon be heading up conferences all over Africa focusing on “The Seven Sphere’s of Influence.” He and his team understand that in order to influence a nation or community, you must impact seven aspects of culture: Family, Religion / Church, Education, Government, Media, Celebration (Arts, Entertainment, and Sports), Economics (Business, Science, and Technology). They have leaders, political and otherwise, asking them to lead them and teach how to be successful in these areas, taking into account biblical principles.
Next Jackson asked, “do you believe in divine appointments?” “I was resting in my room after preaching in the first session. As I laid on my bed, focused on something else, I felt that the Lord clearly told me ‘go outside, there are two women here I want you to meet.’ I got up, left my room, and asked where to find these women. I felt urged to go right. I saw the children’s book tent and knew that I should wait there. Just minutes later, you two came to talk to me.”
Jackson said that he wanted to offer us the opportunity to join him in running these conferences. It’s actually hard for me to even write this down because it feel like such a surreal statement, but he told me “I think you’d make a great keynote speaker on how to cultivate sustainable community development in Africa through business practice, and I think your performance background would also be hugely helpful.” He asked us to be prayerfully considering joining him when our race is finished. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone else in real life who I feel I’d be able to learn more from. He told me to reach out, no matter what direction I go or ministry I embark with, for mentorship, advice, or prayer. He looked at me and said, before ending in prayer, “you have my commitment.”
Now, I want to make it clear that this blog is not announcement. I am not writing this to tell you what I am doing after the World Race is over. I hesitated to even write this blog, for fear it would be taken that way. I told him I’d pray about it, but that I didn’t yet know where God wanted me to be 7 months from then. You may be thinking, “this seems like such an unusual sign, shouldn’t you be listening to it? What are you going to do? How are you going to make this decision? Where do you WANT to live after the World Race? Where do you feel CALLED to live after the World Race? How can you reconcile those things?” If your mind is racing this way, you aren’t alone. When I got to my debrief at the end of Cambodia, my heart and mind were EAGER. I felt unsure about what I should do, how I should be praying about it, and even how I should feel about it. After our first session on a rooftop in Siem Reap, a meeting with some AWESOME long term-missionaries there, I began furiously praying and journaling. An exact excerpt reads… “LORD. You’re being all sorts of loud right now. I genuinely want to follow your plan for my life. I am telling you now that I want to obey you, and I’m asking you to tell me if this encounter with Jackson was your way of asking me to join him, or simply an interruption in the ways I’ve been thinking in order to encourage me in another direction. THIS FEELS TOO HUGE TO WRITE IN LOWER CASE. Be clear with me. Send prophecies. Bring prayer warriors. If this is not your plan, shut all the doors.”
I turned to walk downstairs to bed, and 5 girls from my squad were left on the roof. Before I said goodnight to them, I decided to take action in these desires. Although none of them had yet heard what had happened to me that month, I asked them to pray for me, right then and there, for clarity, encouragement, and for words that God may want to tell me. I boldly asked that they speak into a situation they knew nothing about. They graciously accepted. (My squad is the coolest about things like this. Listening prayer, prophetic vision, etc., is a huge part of our culture. If this sounds super hokey to you, I understand. I’ve been there. Please please ask me about it, I would love to chat.) They sat around me in a circle. Some of my dearest friends on our squad were left on the roof that night, and they all had wonderful things to say; about my value as a daughter, love from my family, the blessings of God’s course… tons of good stuff. However, Brittany Collins’ prophetic vision for me stands out. Her words put my mind and heart at ease. I’m resting in the fact that even in the face of some very unique opportunities, not only do I not need to decide what I’ll do after the World Race right now, I SHOULDN’T. For the time being, I should be enjoying the journey I’m on, serving intentionally, and most importantly taking care of myself and the relationship I have with my Father. Here’s what she said.
“This is a bit odd, but stay with me. I saw you carrying around a potted plant. You are in your back yard, and you dig a hole. You plant your plant in the ground, then dig another hole and displace the plant to move it to the next hole. You are digging holes all over your yard, and you are honestly just creating chaos. The Lord asked me to tell you to stop worrying so much about where to put your plant, and spend more time taking care of it.”
