In January of this year, I sat on a plane headed from Seattle, Washington to Atlanta, Georgia. I flipped out the little tray table, sipped a Sprite and wrote a letter to myself. Megan, our squad mentor, had asked us to write a letter that we would open after 6 months away from home, comforts, family and friends. I scribbled it out in the back of my notebook on this plane ride because I had been procrastinating on this assignment, unable to fully comprehend that I was actually going on the World Race. I handed it to Megan a few days later in Georgia and forgot about it.
A few weeks ago, at our Month 6 debrief in Thailand this letter was placed back into my hands and at that moment I had no other choice but to worship the Father. Who places promises in our hearts, fulfills them in His timing, delights in showing mercy and loves to love us with an overwhelming abundance. I can honestly say that every single one of my hopes and expectations in this letter have been completely blown away with the reality of living life with Jesus for His glory and Kingdom. I now hope you enjoy this blast from the past the same way I did:
Dear Future Hannah,
Sitting on the place headed to Atlanta and Launch – I have high expectations for you. Expectations. Not hopes, because while I have a faint understanding of all the barriers possibly preventing this year from being all it could be, I have so much Trust in God to help you beat/defeat them all. You know so much more than I do about the World, yourself and God but I hope you are hungry for more. I hope that, at this point, you consider yourself very deeply well-known by at least squad mates. I hope you know others deeply and prevent petty annoyances from tainting too many days.
You were chosen for this. Remember all those years when even reading blogs was too painful because you thought your life was too far gone for God to ever give you this chance? Remember the assurance you felt during each moment of applying and planning and saving and sharing? Remember all God has done?! Its because He chose you to be wherever you are right now. He didn’t choose an easy road, a comfortable or predictable road, He chose this one specifically for you.
I hope you are interruptible to His Presence each day and that you need to buy a new journal for your huge gratitude list. I hope you aren’t too homesick and you remember the JOY that was promised through these middle months. I hope you’ve figured out a way to put God first, others second and yourself a distant third. I hope you are sharing your journey with everyone you can. Because its less about you and more about Him. I hope you never watch more than one movie each week and that your travel days are a time of reflection as we all travel through time. I hope you have some beautiful souvenirs and that your backpack is lighter than it is today because you’ve found a way to make the little things count (and thrown out/given away what doesn’t).
You are completely powerless. And that’s exactly how God (and I) want you to remain.
I hope you have ruthlessly eliminated hurry from your life.
“As long as you manage your day in your own power, you dont have(get) to depend on His. Therefore, Jesus’ classroom is the road”.
You’ve been blessed with so many people praying for you. Pass it on 🙂
<3 Hannah 1/7/17
Fun fact – my lucky number has always been 17. Sneaky Jesus.
