I have been with the World Race for three and a half years, and on staff for about two and half of those years. To be honest, I didn’t expect to still be here. In fact, there are often times when I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to still be here. My time on staff has seemed to be mired with tragedy and death, and I think I have internally quit my job about ten times.
I remember writing letters to families who had lost their children in a school shooting in Kenya.
I remember pulling over on the side of the highway after learning that a partner was killed in a terrorist attack in Burkina Faso.
I remember getting the call that a partner’s daughter had lost a battle to Malaria in Botswana.
I remember waking up to the news that a local friend was killed in a tragic car accident overnight.
I remember learning that a partner was exiled, followed shortly after with the news that a friend was jailed, all for being Christian in Turkey.
Even sitting here now, writing this, I am overwhelmed with the state of the world. I feel so small when faced with this seemingly impossible goal: bring hope. I have to force myself to remember the beautiful things like Calvary, a man I met in a small village in Ghana, who couldn’t stop hugging me when I told him I was sending him missionaries to help in his orphanage. I met Hanitra, who thanked me for sending missionaries to her country, Madagascar, when no one else would come. I spoke with Mohamed, who cried out thanks to the Lord for the missionaries I sent him to his underground church in the Middle East. I read a report from one of our missionaries who told a story of watching a man in Rwanda, drunk the night before, become overwhelmed with the Lord’s goodness and grace. I heard from another one of our missionaries, who shared the gospel with a man in Cote d’Ivoire who left and came back an hour later with his entire family so they could also hear of the good news.
I wrote a blog during my World Race, called There is Always Hope, that I just went back and read to remind me that the Lord’s direction is perfect. It is not fleeting, and it is not useless. He knows what He is doing, and I have to believe that in the midst of tragedy and heartbreak, there is a larger story that He is crafting, and one that will expose hope to the world.
So, for now, I will be satisfied with where I am, because I know that the Lord is at work. In fact, I won’t just tolerate it, I will rejoice in it.
You, as my financial supporters, have been such a blessing to me over the last three and half years. I haven’t had to worry much about finding financial backing because you have so faithfully given to this mission. Looking forward to the next year, I need to raise $12,000, and it looks like I will be short by about $2,000 of that goal. If you believe in me and my mission, and are able, would you consider supporting me? You can give by clicking the ‘donate’ button on the left of this blog.
Thank you so much, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless!
