Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

Did I catch you by surprise?  The truth is…I did fall in love…with MY TEAM!! 
I had the privilege of meeting my World Race team during the Training in Georgia a couple of weeks ago.  Though I was only able to go for one of the two weeks, I am crazy about these people.  Have you ever been with people who share your heart?  Have you ever been able to talk rapidly about your passions and know that the person on the other end knows exactly what you are talking about?  I got to have this kind of interaction 24/7 and was loving every minute of it! 
 
During this time, we were also split down into smaller groups in which we will travel and do most of our ministry with.  Would you like to meet them?? I would love to introduce you!
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Not Pictured)
 
I get the honor of spending my entire year getting to know these 6 beautiful people as we serve the Lord along side each other!  I am so excited!!  Please be praying for us as a team that we would be bonded and for us to be patient with one another.  It will be such a huge learning experience for us to go through together!!  So, I am very thankful for these folks!
 
Training was really incredible.  Besides meeting my whole team of 30 (as well as another 30 on team B who will be leaving at the same time as us) it was a great time of learning and powerful prayer.  We had some amazing sessions that brought me to my knees, as well as good 5:30am prayer meetings together.  Each day we also had team building exercises that helped us learn each others leadership styles and how to work effectively as a team. 
 
However, some of the most powerful things for me at training camp were the hands on learning experiences.  For anyone who knows me, you know I learn the best when I do things!  One of the most powerful experiences for me there was something they called the “No hope room.”  They set up a large army tent and as we entered we were instructed not to touch anyone or anything.  I wasn’t sure at first what they were going to have us do.  However, as we entered we were bombarded with loud “demonic” sounding music.  Inside, there was a man beating his wife, a girl about to cut herself, a guy doing drugs, a woman crying with a dying baby, a prostitute/pole dancer, two men violently fighting, etc.  And even though they were all actors, they made it seem very real!  We were unsure what to do at first, so we just stood there as people screamed in our faces.  When we left the tent, we were told we would go back in and the second time we were there, we needed to take that short minute to breathe hope into someones life. 
 
The second time through, I was very nervous!  I wasn’t sure where I would go or who I would talk with.  But as soon as I got in, I went right over to the woman with the baby.  I asked her what her baby’s name was.  She wouldn’t talk to me.  I asked her name and she kept on crying.  I asked if I could pray with her, and she started screaming at me that she hated God and wanted nothing to do with him.  I didn’t know what else to do.  And I don’t know if it was the reality that this is truly how people feel about God, if it was her “tears” over her poverty and dying baby in her arms, or if it was the emotion of all of it…but something inside me snapped.  I laid my head on her back and held her hand and started bawling.  I think it was in that moment that it occurred to me that some of the people we will meet next year will be very hardened and hurt people.  Even though we have high hopes of bringing the good news of Jesus, sometimes that “Jesus” will be simply holding them and crying with them, and nothing more.  It is very hard for me to swallow that notion, but if you think back on Jesus’ ministry on earth, he was a kind and loving man.  People wanted to be with him because he was tender.  He didn’t force himself on people.  They naturally wanted to be with him because he loved on them.  We want to portray that Jesus next year, and I am honored that he would send us as his ambassadors to do so.
 
One of the other things I was challenged by was that this trip has very little to do with us.  He wants to manifest himself in awesome ways through us, yes.  But we are only his vessels. 
 
Reality hit me yet again.  This is not just a marshmallow trip around the world.  I think I will be broken every single day.  I will see things that will freak me out, that will make me uncomfortable, that will challenge my faith in the Lord.  I am scared to death in some ways.  But mostly, I cannot wait for God to reveal himself.  He is doing something amazing in the nations. 
 
Thank you for all of you who made it through this email.  🙂  I appreciate the time you took to hear what God is doing in my life. 
 
I would covet your continual prayers.  I am on track as far as the portion of support I am saving on my own.  I am almost half way to $7500!  Pray that he would continue to provide.
 
And praise Him for providing in so many other ways!!  I have a friend whose father will be buying me a tent.  What an answer to prayer before I even got to pray it!  I have also been provided with an amazing small team of people.  I couldn’t ask for a better group.  Click on their bio and read about them.  I think you will be encouraged. 
 
Until next time!
 
Stacy Utecht
http://stacyutecht.theworldrace.org
www.theworldrace.org