Hey y’all!
It’s hard to believe but I have officially been back in the States for 1 MONTH now! Crazy right? I have very much enjoyed this time catching up with family and friends, eating a bit too much Chickfila, and sharing stories of what God has done these past 11 months of my life.
One question I have been repeatedly asked since I have been home is what my plans are now post Race. I am excited to share that after much prayer and seeking the LORD, I have said yes to going back out on the field in October as an Alumni Squad Leader for another World Race squad! I will be staying on the field with my new squad for the first 5 months of their race and will be going to Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uganda and Rwanda.
As an Alumni Leader, these 5 months will look a bit different than my previous 11 months on the field. My heart for the nations grew tremendously during my time on the race and over the course of these 5 months, I will continue to serve as a missionary, sharing the love of Christ to those who are in desperate need of Him. I will also get to play an integral part in discipling the racers on my new squad. I will get to come alongside what the LORD is doing in and through them as they seek to emulate more of Him to the nations. In addition, my co –leaders and will essentially be the leaders on the field of the squad for the 1st 5 months. Along with our leaders back in the states, we will be responsible for making decisions for the squad as a whole each month. Much like my original race, this opportunity is something that I never expected but I am confident in this next step the LORD is leading me to.
WAYS YOU CAN CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH ME
As with my original race, I am in huge need of your prayers. I believe the LORD does hear and is moved by our prayers and there is power to be found in prayer. The prayers each of you prayed for me while I was gone made a huge impact on my life as well as on people all over the world. Something I want to start doing while I am gone is sending out monthly prayer requests. If you are interested in receiving them, please comment with your email below or send me your email at [email protected]
If you feel led, it would also be wonderful to have your financial support. In order to serve as an Alumni Squad Leader this October, I need to raise $6500. This money will cover all my expenses while I am on the field for these next 5 months. I am trusting that the LORD will provide and my prayer is that He will do that through you and other believers who share and want to partner in spreading the Gospel to the nations!
If you feel led to give, you may do so by clicking the “Support Me” link in the upper left side. Please note that all deductions are tax deductible and any amount blesses me tremendously.
WHY SQUAD LEADING?
For those whom I have gotten an opportunity to share with, this question is the natural one that follows when I share I am squad leading and leaving again. Why? Why leave again for 5 more months? Wasn’t 11 months enough?
My 11 months in Asia were absolutely incredible. Like a total dream. God taught me so many things and I saw and experienced so much. I believe that God did not call me to go to Asia for 11 months in an attempt to satisfy this heart for the nations he has given me but rather, to set it more ablaze for Him and for his people, both those who are lost and those who are found in Him.
I said yes to Alumni Squad leading because it is another incredible opportunity to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus amongst different people all over the World. God is doing amazing things worldwide. Something I saw time and time again these past 11 months is just how big He is and how he truly does love his people, even those who at the moment, do not love him back. We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth and Alumni Squad Leading allows me to continue to do that amongst some dark and desperate places.
Another thing that I learned while I was on the Race was how much I love people, both those who are walking with Christ and those who are not. I said yes to Alumni Squad Leading because it allows me to invest in and empower a new group of World Racers. The first few months on the World Race are amazing but they can also be a lot to take in. I saw people starving, women selling themselves, kids without families and experienced the most extreme spiritual darkness all while the LORD was revealing a lot of junk in my own life I needed to deal with. My Alumni Squad Leaders knew what all of this was like as they walked through it themselves on their races. They supported me while I was struggling, encouraged me when I was feeling discouraged, spoke truth when all I could hear was lies, and empowered me to be the women of God that the LORD has made me to be. The constantly prayed for me and reminded me that I am a warrior for Christ because a lot of time, being a follower of Christ is a lot more like a war zone than a casual afternoon picnic. The LORD used them in mighty ways in my life and my race would not have been the same without them!
Alumni Squad Leading allows me to do for my new squad what my Alumni Leaders did for me. It allows me to share the wisdom and experience the LORD had given me from my race to empower and encourage this new group of racers. Your prayers and financial investment in me will go to investing in 29 other missionaries who are passionate about seeing the Gospel proclaimed to all the nations. Again all of this happens while we are on the field, serving as missionaries all over the world.
So real talk. This next season of stepping into Alumni Leading is one that honestly scares me. It’s terrifying to leave again because this time I know what it is like even more so leave people that I love behind. It is even more terrifying to be leaving as a leader (I’m a 23 year old leading a group of people around the world… eeek!). But one thing the LORD continues to teach me time and time again is this: He often calls into things bigger than ourselves to humble us, to stretch us, and reveal more of himself to us. I know in stepping into this new season, I am stepping into new challenges, new struggles, and a new season of even deeper surrender. None of which, if I am being completely transparent, sound appealing in the slightest. But with these things, I also know that I am stepping into a new season with the Father, a season where He will take me deeper into his heart and reveal to me more about his perfect love. A season of deeper intimacy with him. A season of simply more of Him. That is what is appealing to me and what makes everything that comes with it completely worth it. I know that it’s in having more of him that I find all that I need. At the end of the day, that is what I want more than anything else – more of him and less of me. My prayer going into this season is this: Here I am LORD. Have all of me. In having all of me, I make room for him to give me more of himself. In giving me more of himself, I have more of him to give away to anyone and everyone around me. I want more of Him to give away because there really is power in His love and it truly does change hearts!
Hallelujah, I am in awe of this beautiful and loving God we serve and humbled by what he is calling me into these next 5 months.
LET’S HANG OUT
I will be home for the majority of the month of September and I am still looking to connect with as many of you as I can to share about my experiences on the Race and all that the LORD has done in my life as well as answer any questions you may have! If you are interested in hearing more about my race or have questions about Alumni Squad Leading, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. If you live nearby, I would love to take you to coffee and share my experiences with you! If you live further away, I would love to talk with you over the phone or Facetime.
I am so excited that the LORD has called me into this next season of squad leading and am grateful to continue to get to serve Him all over the world and share with you more about what he is doing! Thank you for your continued support, prayers and encouragement and thank you for continuing to invest in me in sharing the love of Christ to all the nations!
Blessings,
Hallie Canada
Meet my new squad – 4th generation P SQUAD!!
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