So often in my life I have experienced big things and left them as just that, experiences. Taking the time to stop and process was not a habit and certainly not a priority. Now that I am attempting the adulting thing and my story is holding greater content, I find that processing/absorbing/debriefing these big things are essential. The World Race is a huge contributor to this realization and I’m thankful they give us so much space to process. (A portion of that space is this blog, so I’m sorry if from time to time you have to be a part of my messy way of absorbing these crazy experiences we are having.)
A big thing just happened, we finished our first month on the World Race. Since September of last year, I have been planning/praying/anticipating this amazing 11 month journey. Now it’s 10 months. That fact, that I now have 10 months in front of me instead of 11, is throwing me off a bit. While I’m already in the middle of month 2, I think I’m finally ready to share how month 1 rocked my world.
Month 1 of the World Race is weird. It feels like a honeymoon phase full of excitement and energy and positive attitudes. These are all great but then we throw in learning how to live in community and what healthy communication with your team looks like and things get kinda funky. Like I have this super positive attitude and am pumped to rock out another day of ministry but at the same time am a little panicked about how to give good feedback or if my teammates actually love me or if they just feel obligated to. There are so many new emotions that I’ve never been in the position to have before. And then there is that whole thing about wanting to grow in intimacy with Lord and trying to figure out what the heck that looks like! So month 1 of the World Race is weird.
Like I said, the World Race gives us a ton of room for processing and a big part of that is this thing called Debrief. Debrief is a time (about 4-5 days) where we are not at a ministry site, we are with our whole squad, and we get the time and space to process/absorb/debrief what God has been doing in us and through us. We just had our first one (we have 5 total) at the end of month 1 and it was in this time that I figured out my top 10 take aways from life in Colombia and at Formavida.
Here is what I learned….
- Excitement and energy is not always going to be in huge supply, but I have the Holy Spirit and he fills me up when I feel weak.
- A positive attitude is essential, if I don’t have one, I best be praying for a change.
- My teammates and squad mates do love me. They love me really well and not just because they feel obligated to.
- I am here to do ministry and have personal growth. There has to be room for both.
- Loving people well is a vital part of both living in community and being a missionary.
- My Father can and will speak to me if I give him the room to do so.
- Worship is so much more than clapping along to a song and I don’t have to put myself in a box of how I do it.
- The Bible is super cool.
- Formavida is the perfect ministry for month 1…thanks for all the grace!
- This mission is not about me.
God is so good and is still hard at work in my life. I am tackling some big monsters in my life and finally starting feel what it is like to live in freedom. I wish I could better explain all that went on in and through me during month 1, but words only have so much power.
I ask that you continue to keep my whole squad in your prayers as we are tackling month 2 as an all squad month and are figuring out what it’s like to live in even bigger community. I ask that you also continue to pray for my team. We have had a team change! So in addition to the women on my original team, I get the privilege to do life alongside Madison and Susan too! This change is exciting but will also hold new challenges as we are again pushed from what grew into comfort during my first month on a team of 6.
Lastly, I am still in the process of fundraising! Please keep that in mind as I have just a couple months left to reach that final amount!
Keep an eye out for more videos and blogs about life in month 2 of the World Race!
With love,
Lina
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
