I recently had the privilege of Skype chatting with my sister-in-law Alyssa, currently serving on N squad in Malaysia. It was refreshing to encourage each other, share the latest news from each side of the planet and catch up. But eventually, as all of our conversations do, talk began to turn toward the race, my husband and my coming launch and what to expect.
I have wanted to see the world for so long. One of my favorite pastimes is dreaming up the remotest place I can think of and checking it out on Google earth. I used to watch TBN’s series “Travel the Road” and wish I were a guy so I could safely wander the globe in search of unreached people with just a backpack for a home. (Yeah…I didn’t know about the race then. And it turns out if you’re not a guy, you can just marry one. Or – shout out to my dear squadmate, Rachel Curtis – just do it anyway.)
I can’t believe we are finally fulfilling our dream together to do this. And I cannot wait! Literally, cannot wait. July feels like forever from right now. And yet as I type these very words I have a sort of hovering awareness of the moment I will complete this race, look back on this post and think “I cant believe its over”.
I shared this with Alyssa tonight. She and her husband (my bro) are wrapping up month 11 and will be home in a couple short weeks. They have battled heartbreak at orphanages, thieves in their tents at night, bed bug infestations and parasites… and now its over. Now with the year behind her she shared her hard-earned wisdom with me.
“If I had it to do all over again I would have spent less time preparing physically and more time preparing spiritually.”
I always think of these trips as a way to get closer to God, like God is going to reveal himself in a way on the race that will change my life forever. But I never thought about preparing for him to do that.
God has given us 7 months between now until our launch date. With that time we will gather gear, practice our packing skills, streamline my farm to run itself for a year, raise our deputation and prepare ourselves to live differently. But what does God want to teach me right now? What character issue does he want to work on before I’m thrown into a community of 60+ people with character flaws just like mine? What don’t I understand about obedience, fear, discipleship and love? What opportunities will I miss if I am not tuned into Gods Spirit? What habits – good or bad – need to change in me?
The 7 months separating me from my dreams just got heavy with meaning. What carefully chosen things I will take with me and how will I blog without internet and how will I wash my hair everyday have all occupied my thoughts in recent weeks. But they just got blurry as my heart has refocused on Christ and his incredible and unimaginable plan for my personal change in all this.
7 months will pass. I will travel the world. I will somehow learn to wash my hair in a bucket if circumstances call for it. And then it will end. God will point his finger somewhere else when he does, I want to have absorbed every ounce of my experience with him, not missing a thing. To do that I must prepare NOW.
Wait well.
