Different team. Different continent. Different type of ministry. Different way of living in community.
This month has proven to be full of a lot of new experiences, and in many ways feels as if it is an entire new journey all its own. As I've stepped into this new role of team leader, I find myself viewing the World Race with a new perspective. Knowing that I must be more aware of not only myself, but now of how six other people are processing through this journey.
I'm so thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside this new team, and am excited to see what God is going to do in each one of their lives of the course of the next 8 months. As I was processing through what it was going to mean to be a team leader, and the things that God put on my heart to bring to this new family, was the idea that this experience was going to be what each person(myself included) chose to make it.
This is what I said:
Here it is, as one chapter has come to an end, so a new chapter begins, we have this blank sheet of paper, now waiting for the next story to be written. As you reflect on the past three months, know that you are not expected to simply walk away, that time you had with your first team is a time that God ordained and used in all of our lives. I don't want to, nor can I ever forge what He brought myself and my team through.
Yet that chapter has come to a close, and we are not going back. No matter how much we may want to go back with our closet friend on the squad, or go be back in a place with people we all finally became comfortable with, comfortable enough to be our true self’s.
We can't go backwards.
So as you look around at those sitting next to you now, you are looking at your new family. As we know sometimes families can be a challenging and messy group of people to love, but nothing great is ever very simple.
We have a choice we can live in community with a family, this family, in a life of honor and love, honesty and humility, challenging and learning from each other, or we can have the choice to live in dysfunction, to let our pride and selfish desires, take president over the team and over what God is doing in this time.
So we are left with a question, which choice will we make, to embrace this new family and write a story filled with growth, love, honor, and hope, or will we chose to hold onto our attitude of dissatisfaction and of selfishness.
I choose hope.
I choose love.
And I choose openness.
In the same way God calls us all sons and daughters, may we see each other as brothers and sisters.
The time is now. So what are you going to do with it?
So the name of our team Awakened By Choice, comes from this idea, the idea that God gives us the choice to choose love and truth, or to choose the lies that the world throws at us.
Here are the members of my new team, pray for them and read their blogs, I'm so blessed to have the chance to lead this group of 5 women and 1 man, into what God is calling us all to.
Adrea Ross http://adreaross.theworldrace.org
Ashley Penny http://ashleypenny.theworldrace.org
Cameron Freeman http://cameronfreeman.theworldrace.org
Lacee Peloquin http://laceepeloquin.theworldrace.org
Leah Day http://leahday.theworldrace.org
Melissa Diehl http://melissadiehl.theworldrace.org
Here are some pictures from our time last week serving dinner to some families in a neighorhood near Manila. KIM Ministires works 2 times a day 5 days a week to serve a hot meal to various areas in Manila every week.
