As I sit here on my sleeping pad, messy bun and tired eyes from being up most of the night, I’m searching for words that accurately depict what 2016 was for me. Last night was New Years Eve as well as my host, Lineo’s, Birthday! To celebrate, we had a big brai aka south African Barbecue and a bonfire. At about 11:30 everyone gathered ‘round the fire, and shared a little bit of what God has done in our lives this past year. When we finished we began to spread out and worship the creator, a truly beautiful moment. As we worshiped, I began to think about the crazy things God brought to me, and brought me through, and I was overwhelmed in awe of God’s love, and how little of it I deserved.
In 2016:
-He gave me a deeper understanding of relationships, and blessed me with some of the most amazing friendships
-He comforted my broken heart and showed me that though people fail (often) he never will
-He gave me the opportunity to worship with thousands of college age believers, who have felt the love Jesus and are hungry for more
-He gave me the space to fail (and boy did I use it), and then began unwrapping the mystery of never-ending grace
-He encouraged me to step out in independence as I began traveling cross-country, and experienced some of the amazing wonders he created for our enjoyment
-He got me through those lovely days of high school 🙂
-He provided $14k for me to travel the world bringing Kingdom, and taught me how to have faith that he will provide despite what the world says in every circumstance
-He reconciled relationships in my life I thought were long gone
-He taught me that goodbyes don’t have to be hard, because he will never leave me
-He brought me into the uncomfortable, to teach me that he is my comfort
-He surrounded me with a community who love and support each other, and used them to reveal parts of me that needed to be cut away, while encouraging me to continue stepping out in boldness
-He revealed to me his heart for the world, and how important his people are to him
-He gave me more space to fail
-He showed me how to love and be loved despite language barriers and all other odds
-He empowered me to plan, and carry out an international trip (Belize), and find him in the beauty and mess of it all
-He brought me to Africa and showed me unity in the squad whenever Jesus was at the center
-He put people in my live to mold and shape me into the beautiful mess I am today
-He entrusted me with a ministry, to share all the knowledge and love I’ve received from God, and pass it on to the next generation
-He showed me the beauty of the upside down kingdom, and how to store up treasures in heaven and not Earth
-He invited me into the divine dance of the trinity, and continues to pursue me despite my failures. I am his beloved and he is mine.
If you made it to the end of that list, congratulations haha. Sometimes when the harsh realities of this life surround me, It’s hard to see God’s hand amongst the chaos, but looking back he was there. He has always been there, and always will be there: everywhere. Starting off 2017, I don’t have a New Years resolution or anything like that (not yet at least), but I’ve learned that I could never make it happen on my own anyway. Instead i’m just going to keep praying the dangerous prayers, taking bold leaps, loving bigger than ever, and get swept up in the divine dance.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned this year on the race, is that this is not the adventure of a lifetime, but a lifetime of adventure.
Quick update: the youth center that we serve at opens back up tomorrow and my team could not be more excited! Please pray for wisdom in our interactions with the kids and open ears and hearts on there end!
