I can’t believe that this trip, this journey that I am on is ending in a few short weeks. I have called 11 different countries home and have left a piece of my heart in all of them. Not all the countries were amazing and I definitely feel closer to some ministries more than others, but with that comes the struggles that I have over come. I might have been traveling the world this past year, but it was not just a regular back packing trip. I got to experience real and raw community emerged in all different cultures. It has been an amazing year and ever since I signed up to go on this trip the question has always been what is next? I never had an answer to that question for the longest time.
If you were to have asked me that question 11 months ago I would have said to go back to school, finish my degree and start getting my feet on the ground in a career that can support me, but my journey this past year has changed my perspective and I have gone on a journey that has taught me that my success is not found in the world. I wanted to go back to school so that I can have a degree because that is what is acceptable in the world, but over this past year I have redefined what success is.
Over the course of this trip, the biggest question that we have all faced is what is next? Some of us even got this before we left home and while I never liked to think about it I always knew that I would return to school to finish my degree. I never stressed out about what was next because I knew, but the Lord had a different plan for me. Even after being out of school for so long I still had no desire to go back. In month 8 I started to pray more intentionally about what my future looked like and asked for clarity about the coming months. Well this clarity became something I did not want to do and along came an internal battle. At month 8 debrief I was challenged to sit and listen to the Lord on maybe going back out into the field as a Squad leader. At first I laughed and was like, ‘Yeah, that is not for me.’ Yet the Lord convicted my heart and then began the long journey of praying.
Month 9 brought a huge internal battle of me fighting against where the Lord was bringing me. I went back and forth from maybe this is my desire to travel more and it isn’t from the Lord to I do not want to live out of a backpack for another 5 months to yeah this is where the Lord wants me. My mind was in so many places and I did a lot of processing both with the Lord and team mates. The Lord just kept saying trust. Why don’t you trust me. Don’t you trust that I have some amazing plans for you. You need to surrender to me. So after many different conversations and prayer I finally felt at peace with applying and handed over my trust to God and he has confirmed in so many ways that this is where I need to be! He is a good good father.
So here I sit 22 days from being back home and I am still amazed and think about how crazy I am for going back out and living this lifestyle again. I can’t believe that I will be heading out to Haiti in January with another group of people that have the same desire that I did. I will be joining up with 3 other co-leaders and will be travelling alongside D-squad to Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, India and Nepal and will than be flown out to see them at their month 8 and 11 debriefs, which are taking place in Cambodia and Uganda.
As an alumni squad leader, I’ll launch with my squad and travel with them for the first 5 months of the race. I will do ministry alongside them- traveling from team to team. My ministry focus will shift to focus on the squad. My job will be to encourage them and challenge them along the way. To listen to them. To laugh with them. To share my story and what the Lord’s doing in my life with them. To disciple them and continually grow alongside them. I am excited to travel alongside D-squad and walk them through this crazy adventure. I am excited for them all to discover who God has made them to be and discover so much more of him! I was deeply influenced by my 3 squad leaders and they have each played a huge role in my Race experience! Thank you Amanda, Tammy and Lo! They set a great example of what being a leader looks like and I am excited to walk into this role.
While this is all super exciting, it is bitter sweet. I am ending my race and will only have a few short weeks at home. I have grown so much this year and have really learned what the church can look like and how support is important. For this trip I am going to have to raise a total of $6500, $3500 will be for the first 5 months of being out in the field with an additional of $3000 to get me out to the debriefs. This means I am going to be support raising again, and while this is still not my favourite thing to do the Lord has taught me so much in it and again I have to trust him! (You can donate through the link above by clicking donate or you can donate by reading this blog of mine and get a tax receipt (Canadians only)).
This also means that you can partner with me in other ways as well. Finances are a huge part of missions, but prayer is the most important. I need prayer as I finish out my race. Prayer for re-entry. Prayer for D-squad and their final months at home. Prayer for my finances both personally and field expenses. Prayer can change the world and it is the best way you can support me.
I also send out support emails each month. This is a way I can update you all on this journey on a different level than blogging. I am going to try and do more pictures this time around. If you would like to be on this email list, please send me an email with your email or comment below with it and I will add you!
Thank you so much for your support! This year would not have happened without you guys. Remember to subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already.
I can’t believe I will be seeing you all so soon and we will be able to exchange stories in person. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or would like to meet up!
See you all soon,
Quinn
PS: This song was sung at church on Sunday and it just really spoke to me. It feels so good to be in a church that I can understand again!
