So up to this point the majority of my blogs have been about what I’ve been doing at each ministry I’ve visited. It’s about time that I blog about the journey that God has been taking me on this year…and let me tell you, it’s been over and beyond what I could ever have imagined.
Starting in El Salvador, I began to feel sort of stagnant…like I wasn’t growing. A big reason I felt called to the Race was for personal growth…to step out of my comfort zone and be stretched. After a few months, believe it or not, the Race was beginning to feel normal and even comfortable to me. While it felt good to be settling into this lifestyle since it will be my life for 11 months, it was also scary for me to think of not growing to my fullest potential this year. So I prayed a dangerous prayer…
“God, I want to grow more. I want to be pushed out of my comfort zone even further.”
And sure enough, God answered. At the end of our month in El Salvador, Team Dubs was split up and I was asked to lead a new team in Bulgaria. When I received the call about team leading I instantly realized that this was God answering my prayer. Team leading is well outside of my comfort zone. I struggle with confidence in my decisions and speaking my mind…both of which are crucial to team leading. Knowing that I would grow through the experience, I agreed to do it. So last month in Bulgaria I led a team of 6 awesome, beautiful women…Team RADiant! And I did grow…I learned so much and gained some confidence in my leadership abilities.
Little did I know that God was just getting me warmed up.
Let me clarify the structure of the Race a little first. The first 5 months of the Race there are alumni squad leaders out on the field with us. These are former World Racers who are responsible for assigning teams to contacts, checking in with teams, encouraging racers in their growth, and making decisions that help the 11 months run as smoothly as possible. After the first 5 months, several “raised up” squad leaders are chosen to take over these responsibilities after the alumni head back home. The raised up squad leaders travel with a different team each month so that each team gets one-on-one attention.
Being chosen as a squad leader was never even on my radar…at all. That is why when I was asked to be one at the beginning of this month my jaw almost hit the floor. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if it was something I wanted to do. Being responsible for the whole squad??…no thank you. I was told to take some time to pray about it. After praying, I really felt that God was telling me, “Rita, this is the next step. You won’t be doing this alone…I’ll be right there beside you helping you every step of the way.”
So I said yes and now I am a Squad Leader to C-squad!
I’ve realized that this is something that I cannot do without the Lord. And I believe that is why I was chosen…because God knew that I would have to completely rely on Him in this new position. He wants me to be at a place where I have no choice but to rely on Him. If I tried to do this on my own it would be a complete failure…I know that for sure. At first when I thought of squad leading, I was filled with doubt, fear, and insecurity. Am I really qualified to do this? But when I think of the fact that this is what the Lord has called me to and that He wouldn’t call me to something that He doesn’t know that I can handle, I’m filled with hope, excitement, and confidence! And I’m ready. I’m ready to enter this next “season” of my Race. I’m ready to see what God has in store for C Squad because I know He has big plans for us! I’m ready to humbly serve the squad.
“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5
I am blessed to have 3 other raised up squad leaders that I will be serving alongside…Bre, Daniel, and Matthew. I have so much respect for each one of them and am excited to be able to enter into this adventure with them. I will include links to their bogs below so that you can meet them.
http://breannamason.theworldrace.org/
http://danielwilliams.theworldrace.org/
http://matthewfitzgerald.theworldrace.org/
I would appreciate your prayers as I take on this additional responsibility. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. I truly would not be here were it not for all of you!
God Bless,
Rita
