This month marks the halfway point in my journey on the World Race. As I sit here reflecting on everything I’ve seen and experienced God do in the past six months, I am in awe of His goodness and favor in my life.
What exactly have I done?
I've been in the Philippines, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and now Romania.
I've slept in countless beds, on floors, in buses, trains, planes and at all sorts of transportation facilities.
I've eaten fertilized duck eggs, a whole lot of rice and more PB & Js than I’d like to remember..
I've traveled who knows how many miles in approximately 27 different forms of transportation, including jeepneys, trikes, chappas and a Chinese electric bike.
I've caged dived with Great White sharks in South Africa and dove the reefs of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.
I’ve gone from the middle of summer in Africa to the middle of the coldest winter in a century in Europe in about 12 hours and lived to tell the tale.
I've held special needs orphans in China and AIDS orphans in Swaziland.
I’ve had tea with Romanian gypsies and hoed a corn field in Mozambique.
I’ve taught surf school in South Africa and helped lead worship in a church of 800+ in the Philippines.
I’ve seen God provide for my needs, move on my behalf and show up big time when I needed Him most.
I’m continually learning what it means to be God’s beloved and walk in my identity as His daughter.
At this halfway marker, my Race has changed yet again. I have been raised up to be a Squad Leader alongside the fun and fabulous Christin Chiles (a fellow Floridian and Gator alum!). What does this mean? Instead of being on a team doing ministry each month, my ministry will become the squad itself. Christin and I will be a covering of leadership for the squad as we travel around from team to team and join them for their ministry, pouring into the leaders and team members. It was SO hard to leave the community of my Sound ladies, but God has raised up an incredible leader in Amaris Torres and I KNOW big things are in store for them as well!
This journey has been incredible. I have laughed til my sides ache and sobbed til I can’t breathe. I’ve missed the weddings of best friends, countless birthdays, holidays and get togethers with my friends and family to sit with those who have no friends or family and tell them they are desperately loved by Jesus. I’ve abandoned my ideas of comfort and learned to love living out of my backpack. I’ve given my life to the Kingdom of God because the love of Christ compels me. It’s not my heart beating in my chest – it’s HIS. It’s His heart for His people, His children, that makes all of this worth it.
So my vision for the next 5 months is simple – LOVE. Love with everything in me and let Christ’s love flow through me even more. Love myself, love my squad and love the people God places in my path with His furious love. I’m not out here to change the world but I AM here to be wrecked by the love of my Heavenly Father and share that love with EVERYONE I meet.
13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
[2 Cor 5:13-20]
Thank you for your support, your prayers and your faithful giving! YOU are a tremendous reason this is all possible and I’m so grateful for you! Please be praying for my sisters Jessica Fischbach and Shannon Meador as our financial deadline is quickly approaching on March 1st to be FULLY FUNDED! You can donate to them by following the links above to their blogs. THANK YOU!
