I arrived in Georgia 2 days ago, on a plane ride that was definitely not the smoothest. We sat on the plane, not leaving the gate for over 2 hours and then it took an additional hour to de-ice the plane, so we left almost 3 hours behind schedule. I remember sitting there thinking “great, we’ve started real nicely.” It was at this point that God moved my heart and told me “patience starts now.” This lesson was keen to learn in the beginning. I am beginning an adventure that will take me to many, many different places over the course of 11 months and things are NOT going to go the way that I expect them to go. God reminded me that he is in control and that I need to relax and be okay with where I am at that moment. This was the first of many lessons over the past 2 days.
When I arrived in Georgia I was delighted to be greeted by my team, waiting at the top of the stairs with open arms and grinning faces. They were overjoyed at my arrival. What a lesson that in itself was; it was a quick reminder that I am loved. God has placed these people in my life for a reason and I am blessed to be able to pour into them over the next 11 months and be poured into by them. Their joy at my arrival was a delightful reminder of how much I have missed them and of how grateful I am for this team.
After we made it to the shuttle (which was way more difficult than anticipated because my bag was WAY too heavy) we headed to the hotel where we would be staying for the next three days. Here will would get the remainder of our training before we fly out. The first night here we spent the evening greeting all the faces we have so dearly missed since training camp, re-building relationships, rambling about the events of our lives over the past two months and spending time with each other as we begin this adventure together. The following day was filled with more arrivals and lessons for those in leadership positions. For those of us who are not in leadership positions it was a day of relaxation, catching up on sleep, long coffee dates and a time of relaxation (as much as you can relax with 350 people running around). Our second day here were sessions involving everyone: these ranged from safety lessons and educational conferences to the last meetings with parents who have come to see their children and their children’s teams off. Note were taken, prayers were said and preparations were made as we listened to the words that would help guide our next year in the mission field.
This has been a time of growth, even in these short two days… God is calling us to leave all our pains and all our wounds at the foot of the cross, so that as we begin this journey of running towards him we don’t have past pains weighing us down. He wants us free to move with him, move for him, and move to him. It has been an emotional joinery for some people. I find myself not feeling overly emotional. I feel ready. I have left home numerous times before, I have practiced my goodbyes in previous years and I know what it means to wander; goodbyes no longer hold any sadness for me. The beautiful people in my life that I have said goodbye will be home when I get them. I choose to embrace that God is calling me away from them for a reason and although I can continue to love, support, and pray for them while I am away, I want to be present where I am. They have reminded us numerous times during training to be present where we are, invest in the people that you are in front of and to fight for the things God is asking you to fight for right now. This is something I want to really try to do. I find myself believing that is a key to the process of change, of growth that God is calling us to, but thats just my own belief. Through these lessons I have heard what not to do’s, what to do’s, what is or is not suggested and how previous racers have been successful on this 11 month journey.
God is moving. I can feel him. My teammates feel him; my squad feels him; this family feels him and I cannot wait to see how he continues to move as we attempt to be fully obedient. My prayer as I begin this journey is that I am able to leave my baggage at the foot of the cross; baggage in all sense of the term. I want to leave my pains, my poor relationships, my negative habits, my degrading thoughts, my soul’s wounds, my past’s damaging realities and the million of other things that are not of God. I want to… no, I will give them all to the Lord. This is a journey of sharing Christ’s love with people and I cannot wait to see how God uses us in this process. He has already moved in these places, preparing our way, but now it’s our time to follow his commands and allow him to use us to complete his work.
I cannot thank all of those who have journey with me this far. You’re emotional, physical, financial, and spiritual support means the world to me and I can never thank you enough. I ask that you continue to pray for me and my team. It is finally here. I do still have $7000 to raise. If you feel inclined to donate, thank you. If not, thank you. You’re prayers and thoughts are more than enough. I apologize if this blog is “scatter-brained,” I just wanted to get my thoughts down. I will be blogging again soon; much more frequently than previously. Thank you all again for all you do in my life. I love you. God loves you. And you are beautiful.
Thanks for reading,
Tabbi
