This is a letter my close friend and teammate of mine wrote me! We had time to sit and reflect on how much each one of the men on X Squad has grown since the start of the race! I would just like to share this letter with you all, to let you know I am not the same man that left 9 months ago!
Connor,
This man is not the boy you once knew. The person that left just 9 months ago is no longer. We met for the first time at training camp and I knew we would be friends. We had a similar sense of humor. We were both dating girls and would be leaving them for 11 months. We both enjoyed making people laugh. We were both from the United States… Yes, we bonded at training camp, and yet we told each other we could never be on the same team. Why? I know it seemed weird to say, but because of our humor we were constantly questioning if what the other person said was true. Was it just a joke? Or was it truth? We knew that if we were ever on the same team it would become an issue and it just wouldn’t work out well.
And yet.
Here we are nine months after training camp. On the same team. And everything is going perfectly. But I still believe what we said at training camp was true. Training camp Connor and training camp Ian could not have been on the same team together. But those people no longer exist. The Connor that is on my team is a leader, he is wise, intelligent, truth-seeking, Bible saturated, Christ loving, he is encouraging, serious, but also still hilarious as ever, he is a listener, balanced, understanding, he is an evangelist, a healer, a prophet who hears from the Lord, a disciple, he loves his family, he speaks truth into others, he has a powerful testimony, he is new to the faith but also the most experienced of anyone I know, he has jumped into the calling the Lord has placed on his life, he has found God loving brothers and sisters willing and desiring to do life by his side, but the most important of all is that he embodies what it truly means to lay down your life and follow Christ.
You see if I had used that list to describe Connor just 9 months ago you would have laughed in my face. There’s NO way ALL of those things describe him. But here’s what’s beautiful. Every single thing I said was true. And that’s only a portion, the smallest fraction, of the Connor that I now know. He is all of those things and more. So what changed? What could possibly have happened in the 9 months since training camp?
Jesus happened.
Now I know that’s pretty common terminology. “Sinner saved by grace” right? “I was lost but now I’m found, I was blind but now I see.” “With Jesus my life is so much better.” We’ve all heard it before. The common question we as believers ask each other is when did you get saved? When did you ask Jesus into your heart? We’ve all heard this evangelical phrasing before. But that’s the issue. The understanding of when I say Jesus happened is a different context than what many think that phrase means. Connor got saved a little over a year ago. To many Christians that’s where it ends. When they got “saved.” But as Christians that’s not the end that’s simply the beginning. And Connor has completely embraced the lifestyle of what it means to follow Christ.
When I say Jesus happened, I’m not talking about the one moment a year and a month ago when Connor made the decision to make Jesus his Lord and Savior. When I say Jesus happened, I actually mean Jesus is happening. Connor isn’t focused on that decision, he is choosing to live his life every single day and make Jesus his Lord EVERY day. It’s something I’ve been inspired by as of late. I see the passion in his eyes when we wakes up every morning and reads the Bible. I see the way he speaks to someone who doesn’t have Jesus, I see him have patience about something that 9 months ago would have bugged him to no end, every decision I see him make is one that I respect and admire.
I’m trying my very best to put into words how much I respect the Connor that I know now, but I don’t know if just words can do it. I am fully confident that his life now is an example of the man I am describing.
One thing that is extremely contagious about Connor is his love for his family. This is a love that he has always had, but I have seen it grow and he has moved that love into a Christ-like love. Almost every chance he gets he is talking about his family and what he wants to see in them. I have seen prayers answered in his family. He began the race praying fervently for them and with a passion that his prayers would get answered. They have been. Since this journey began he has seen his family begin to go to church, but more importantly start a relationship with Jesus. They have sought out Connor for advice and insight on scripture and he has returned each question with the wisdom in which he has grown in. He has started studying the Bible with his family and has seen the Lord work even though he is halfway around the world. And the beautiful thing about it all is he has not ceased praying for his family. Even though there has been huge strides there is always more to be prayed for, and he has continued to do so by placing his family in the Lord’s hands.
I have seen him grow in his relationship with Taylor. We are now the only two people on our squad currently dating someone and it’s a beautiful connection we have, being able to share about our relationship and seeking counsel from each other. But I can’t help but admit I’ve been a bit jealous. I’ve seen Connor go from simply desiring to be a good boyfriend to being one that is completely centered around Christ. He has studied what the Word has to say about biblical marriage, he has read books on the subject, he has sought the Lord in what kind of husband he should be. He has chosen to live a life completely focused on the Lord and he wants Taylor to be right by his side that entire time. Their relationship has grown so much in the past 9 months, but I’m most excited to see the impact in the world that they have. Whether it’s in Colorado, in Guatemala, Cambodia, or heck even Antartica. I know wherever they are with them both focused on the Lord they will do GREAT things. Even greater things than Jesus! (Jesus told us we could by the way). I am confident if any couple was going to change the world it is going to be Connor and Taylor.
I have seen Connor become one of the most balanced people I know. As you know, if Connor’s talking it’s likely that you’re laughing hysterically, or at least trying to not give him the satisfaction by trying not to laugh. But I’ve seen him use that gift to further the kingdom. I have seen South Africans welcome him into their home to hear the Gospel. And as those people are hearing about Jesus they are also laughing realizing that being a Christ follower can be a good and fun time. Not only that I’ve seen a balance of wisdom mixed with humor. I’ve rarely seen them balanced so well in an individual. Again, if you know Connor you know it used to be simply laughing all the time, but now I hear jokes followed by a truth that cuts straight to my heart. And that truth is always rooted in scripture. As someone who has struggled in the past (as well as the present) with balancing humor and being serious, I am a bit jealous that he picked up on it so quickly. It’s been my whole stinking life, and here Connor is figuring it out in just a couple months.
I could pick out a couple examples on how much Connor has grown, and yes I sorta did that. But this letter would also be an entire book if I picked out every example. There are tons of things that have happened in the past couple months that are a testament to how much Connor has grown. But that’s not what I’m going to focus on, and here’s why. His life is and will be a perfect testimony to how much he has changed. I could share with you every area in which he’s changed, but I don’t have to. Because the life that he will be living when he gets home will reflect that. Just like I said he isn’t focused on when he chose to make Jesus his Lord, he won’t be focused on what has happened these past months. Being a Christian isn’t about one moment, but each and every moment you live. Connor is going to live those moments glorifying the Lord. I’m going to let his life do the talking. You will see his changed heart. You will see his new desires. You will see his love for the Word. You will see his love for sharing about this beautiful gift we have been given. You will see all of it. So I’m going to let you see it. I’m honored to call Connor a friend and every single one of you are even luckier. A great person left for a year, but he came back an even better one, an even greater brother, a better son, and biggest of all. He became a TRUE Christ follower.
Ian
