As I reflect upon the last year, I stand in awe of all I have been blessed to experience and feel. I have been challenged in WHO I AM, WHAT I WAS CREATED FOR, and the Lord has expanded my idea of WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF.
I remember the days just prior to my launch date last year when the reality of 
my decision to leave on this journey began to set in. As excited as I was, and as much peace as I had that this was indeed the direction the Lord was leading me, there were moments that my flesh took over and I would find myself terrified at the thought that my life would never be the same after I stepped foot on that plane…
The thought that God had chosen me for this journey gave me the impression that He had something great ahead for my life. Maybe I was going to become another Mother Theresa- caring for the poor around the world, permanently living in desolate conditions. Or maybe I was going to start a children’s home in Africa and raise orphaned children… I had NO IDEA how I was going to change, or what I was going to learn over the following eleven months, but I was up for anything.
I guess that’s why I was so shocked in month one when I was working in Guatemala at a children’s home and in the cerebral palsy wing of a hospital feeling completely out of place. I did not find myself falling head over heels for the people I was serving, and I certainly did not feel like Mother Theresa! I knew I was committed to the remaining ten months of this journey, but I recall arguing with God and asking Him to show me what my purpose was for being out here on the mission field. The answer I received: Be patient my child.
I wish I could say that it’s now month eleven and I love playing with children and I enjoy every aspect of ministry but that would not be an accurate statement. However, I CAN say that I 
have developed a sensitivity to different people groups and new ways in which the Lord can use me. I’ve learned that I will not always be passionate about the things that are laid in front of me, but the important thing is that I am WILLING to be used in any way that brings the Lord glory, and that I serve joyfully.
The last year has been the most CHALLENGING, EYE-OPENING, HEART-REVEALING, REWARDING, and BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE! If I had to do it all over again, I would without a second thought. Every sacrifice that was made to be here was worth it. The confidence that the Lord has built inside me is priceless, and I look forward to returning home and living out the things that the Lord has revealed to me.
A question that I receive quite often is, “Shannon, what are your plans after the Race?” The OLD Shannon would have been utterly 
overwhelmed and distraught at the thought of not having the next two years, let alone the next four months planned out. Living with an active faith that requires that I constantly depend upon the Lord is SO appealing to me now. I no longer just talk about how God will provide for my every need, but I believe it with my entire being. This year has been lined with impossible circumstances that allowed me to put my faith into practice and see my God come through mighty in power. When I think about my future I know I want to accomplish the impossible. In the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan, he says, “You are not all you are made to be when everything in your lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Holy Spirit.” This statement has resonated with me all year.
So as I look ahead to my future, I know and feel with every bone in my body that the Lord has something much larger for my future than I could ever imagine. I am earnestly seeking Him and taking time to listen for His voice to lead me. The confidence that I feel about not knowing the details of my future is unexplainable. It is incredibly freeing to live in the present, focusing on each day as it comes, and not worrying about what tomorrow brings. I never thought I would say that, but here I am with a smile on my face as I reflect on how far the 
Lord has brought me. I don’t ever want to step into a situation again, whether ministry or a career, that I think I can handle on my own- where does that leave room for God to work? I will walk in the confidence that when I am faced with a position that I cannot handle on my own, that is where the Lord comes in and fills in where I am weak.
So as I step foot into the next season of my life, I am going to turn away from anything that I know I am capable of accomplishing, and look for things that seem too big, too advanced, too out of my reach, and those are the things that I want to pursue, because I know that as much as this year has been the best year of my life thus far, the BEST year of my life still lies ahead… J
