Yes, this blog is long overdue. I started it the week I returned home, but couldn’t find the right words until now. I have been asked many times since I returned home what I learned and gained from the World Race. While I learned A LOT in my 11 months on the World Race, the one overshadowing lesson was gratitude.
As a kid, my sister and I were raised to live in a posture of thankfulness. Every time we received a gift from a family member or friend we wrote thank you notes. It was something we were expected to do because our parents and grandparents wanted us to appreciate the things we were given and the people that gave them to us.
Growing up this way I thought I fully understood and appreciated what it looked like to walk in a posture of gratitude. And I did. But I have come to realize that the surface level look of thankfulness is totally different from the reverent gratitude that I learned during my 11 months on the field.
At our final debrief, our alumni squad leader gave us a simple thought to ponder, and almost daily since then, I have prayed over it.
“If you woke up tomorrow and only had what you thanked God for the day before,
what would you have?”
BOOM. Talk about a GOOD WORD!
On the race we sometimes play “the thankful game”; a way of looking at hard situations and finding the bright side. i.e. your bus gets stopped at the Haiti/DR border for 6 hours and when you finally cross the border you are told to unload everything, then reload it, then unload it again. Instead of being frustrated with miscommunication we begin recognizing the things we are thankful for; thankful it isn’t raining. thankful that it only took 6 hours to get through the border. thankful for strong team members that have jumped under the bus to get our bags.
You get the picture.
At the beginning of the race this game was kind of a funny way to laugh through hard times. By the end of the race it became a way of life for me.
As the time with my squad began to dwindle, I found myself filled with a constant overflowing gratitude. One night in particular will always stand out in my mind. Our squad was pulled from Haiti (month 10) and found ourselves back in the DR, together. Despite having so many sick squad members, it was an incredible blessing to have all 36 of us back together for 2 weeks of ministry. Our mindset began to shift from thoughts of home, to experimental ways to enjoy our remaining time together.
This night in particular we decided to put away our laptops and just make some memories. Within half an hour 4 of us had jumped in the pool, fully clothed. We laughed until we cried and went to our tents with a rejuvenated heart and smiles that lasted for days. I laid in my tent for hours that night, just thanking Jesus for anything and everything. It was a night I will never forget; our Chikungunya pain fell second to the love and friendship that we had for each other. We all recognized the greatness of the God who had placed us together on this crazy adventure and we wanted to take advantage of the time we had been given.
Thank you Jesus for community, friends, and life long sisters.
So in short, the World Race taught me to be thankful. I learned to be thankful for little things like water that doesn’t run out and a tent that doesn’t leak, but I also learned to fall on my knees, dirt in my face and surrender my life in gratitude for the greatest act of love ever committed. There is no thank you note that can fully describe the appreciation that I have for the Cross, so I will spend my life as a living sacrifice to one who gave me life.
I will daily walk out gratitude, worship, and genuine appreciation for my Lord and Savior,
JESUS CHRIST.
During my 11 months on the field I learned to walk out this gratitude. I experienced an external change in how I lived life, because of an internal acceptance of the grace, mercy, and love that Jesus Christ gives us. I learned
To say yes, when I wanted to say no. To be bold when I was scared. To be vulnerable and broken when I wanted to be strong and unfailing. I did all of these things because of what was done for me.
Gratitude covers all of the above.
I am now living my life from a place of utter and complete gratitude, in worship of the One who gave it all.
With all that being said I have a few THANK YOUs that must be declared.
THANK YOU to supporters, friends, family for financially and prayerfully helping me go on The World Race.
THANK YOU to ministry contacts who showed me Jesus in different ways and different cultures.
THANK YOU to the random people I met during the race, because you all had an impact on my life and my relationship with the Lord.
THANK YOU to my squadmates and squad leadership for doing life with me during the last 11 months. You all had a unique and impressionable impact on my life and my relationship with the Lord. I love you X SQUAD!
THANK YOU to Seth Barnes for taking a leap of faith to start this 11 month trip. Your obedience to bring youth to the nations has forever changed my life.
And most importantly.
Thank you Jesus for all that You are, all that You represent, and all that You did for me.
My life is dedicated to your glory and your Kingdom.
What are you thankful for? Have to you talked to your Daddy today and told Him that you appreciate Him? We serve an incredible God who deserves our undivided worship in appreciation for what His Son did, so I challenge you to not wait until Thanksgiving to walk out a life of gratitude, START NOW!
PSA: THIS IS NOT MY LAST BLOG! Stay tuned for a sneak peek into what the Lord is going to do next in my life. It is REALLY EXCITING and you aren’t gonna want to miss it!!
with love,
Sam
