Eleven months. Eleven countries. 323 days. Eleven beautifully diverse cultures. Eleven sets of goodbyes. About a million lessons learned. Highs and lows. One boundless, all powerful God. A new perspective as He has been refining me.
The long awaited date (that at one time felt so far away) is finally here…I’m back in the United States and I’m almost home!
Reflecting back on the past 11 months, memories from each country flash through my mind: walking to fetch water from the spigot down the hill in Lesotho and watching women carry full buckets on their heads, rambunctious, smiling children at our care point site in Swazi, small tin-roofed shops on street corners in South African townships, bustling traffic in Vietnam, tuk tuks and temples in Cambodia, working on a farm and riding in the back of our host’s truck in Thailand, friendly Nicaraguans that welcomed us (strangers) into their homes to chat with and pray for them, reserved yet incredibly sweet Panamanians and indigenous culture, flavorful cuisine and confident yet gentle (and fiercely loyal) Jamaicans, powerful worship along with genuine love and hospitality in Haiti, picture perfect mountain views and crystal blue oceans in the Dominican Republic.
My heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for the story He is writing in my life. I stand in awe of His kindness, His grace, His steadfast love, and His faithfulness. Who am I that He has brought me this far? I’m humbled that the Lord chose me for this journey – this crazy, yet amazing adventure. I can so clearly remember arriving in Lesotho last August and thinking, “This doesn’t feel real…the sights I’m seeing and things I’m experiencing look like something straight out of a National Geographic magazine. Will reality ever set in?” And yet here I stand 11 months later, and home feels like the dream – it’s all very surreal. International travel has become my “norm”, along with many other odd things I hadn’t been exposed to prior to this trip. To name some: Zero access to air conditioning in 100 degree heat (and at times not even a fan). Electricity limited to just a few hours a day. Cold bucket showers. Not being able to flush TP. Inaccessibility to “Googling” things… or not being able to understand most people speaking around me for months at a time. Sleeping on a sleeping pad for months.
This list barely skims the surface of foreign things that became everyday norms over the past year. It was a year of simplicity…and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The transition has been strange, but my awareness of God’s provision is higher than ever. I never want to lose this deep gratitude. God is good.
So, how was this year? What all have I learned? At first, these questions seemed complex…but in actuality, my year can be summed up quite simply. While standing in the airport gazing around at all of the people rushing past me, everything clicked. This year, God has taught me two things: how to love Him and how to love others. More specifically, to love without reserve. It seems basic, as these are the two great commandments that Jesus spoke about…but just as Jesus summed up 600+ Jewish laws in two commandments, every lesson I learned boils down to these two things. Complexity made simple – but yet so powerful. As I’ve drawn near to God, I’ve become rooted and grounded in Him. Spending quality time with the Lord and in His Word every day is a non-negotiable for me now. Sitting with Him in stillness and solitude brings me into a state of peace, joy, contentment, stability…no matter the circumstances taking place around me. He is the eye of my storms. God fills me up, and I find rest in knowing that He alone is enough. To really know and believe this takes a daily “filling up” every morning, not just once a week. I am far from perfect after spending this time with Him, but He brings me out of my human perspective. The static of external pressures and the world around me fall away. God begins to give me His eyes to see situations, people, and myself as He does. He brings clarity to confusion, and tranquility to anxiety. This is the most important thing I’ll take away from the race – a deeper love for the Lord, and greater dependence on Him. He has and continues to build up my faith.
That deepened intimacy has directly influenced the way I view and encounter others. God has kindled an affection in my heart for the people of the world. He has renewed my mind, and shown me how I ought to view others. He’s teaching me to truly see them. He has given me a desire to know their story…their hobbies, their hopes, their fears, their greatest dreams. I have always seen God evidently in nature: in towering mountains or rolling fields, in lush green countrysides, in wildflowers, in the vastness of the ocean, or the power of waves crashing on the shore. But among these captivating wonders of the world, there is one that is even more precious and beautiful than any other – people. Humans. WE were created in God’s image. Acts 17:28 says, “Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His offspring.’” We are God’s offspring. I never realized the magnitude of this statement. We each possess attributes of God’s character, and we resemble Him just as a child resembles their earthly parents. This year God has shown me the exquisite intricacy of His most prized creation – His people.
Heading home, my aim is to continue to love God and others wholly. This year, the Lord expanded my understanding of what it means to love as He instructs. The Bible says that love is evident through actions, not only words (1 John 3:18). Love isn’t just a feeling or an emotion. It gives up self for others. Love trusts and perseveres. It hopes, expects, and desires the best in a situation, even when the odds look completely unpromising. It persists when all other things and people have fallen away. Love quickly lets go of offense and seeks to bring reconciliation in a hard relationship. It doesn’t jump to conclusions about others or show partiality. Love speaks hard (often unpopular) words and truths, and love remains even when it is not returned. This year God taught me about this love – agape love. And while I know I still can’t even begin to comprehend the depth of His immeasurable love for us, what He has revealed to me is beautiful. May I forever love well because I know that I am loved perfectly by my heavenly Father.
This year I encountered God. I experienced the goodness of His presence, and I hope to bring that fullness to those I encounter back home. The race is over, but this week I was reminded that ministering to others did not just exist on the race. And it isn’t just done through church activities. It is in every moment of every day. It’s living missionary naturally in my daily life. I’m called to be a carrier of the gracious presence of God wherever He places me. I’m His fragrance to others. I don’t know what my future holds long term, but I know that right now I am called to be light in dark places. I’m to be the face of Christ to those I encounter in the simple moments of an average day.
I went on the race to grow in my relationship with God, to be challenged to grow as an individual, and to figure out where God is calling me to serve in His kingdom. Upon finishing the race, I can say that I experienced all of these things and so much more. Entering this next season, I feel at peace. I know the one who holds my life in His hands, and although it is not always easy (and sometimes an internal battle)…I trust Him completely.
Thank you for supporting me throughout this journey. God has blessed me with such an incredible community, and I could not have made it without your constant prayers and encouragement! My race ends here, but God’s work continues! And I can’t wait to continue walking with Him back on U.S soil.
With love,
Em
Isaiah 43:1-3 “…thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…’”
Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
