Alright folks! I wanted to give some space for you to ask all of the questions you may have in regards to me alumni team leading this fall- here’s all of my responses!
What are you most excited about?
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One of my favorite things is getting to walk alongside others and see the beauty of new growth. I cannot wait to meet my squad in July and see how the Lord uses experiences on the field to mold and shape them more into His image.
What is your biggest anticipated challenge?
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Yikes this question is real. I have a tendency to try and act out in my own strength and for my own glory. The Father has to constantly remind me to trust Him and lean on His strength and provision, because 10/10 times I will fall on my own. This is why daily surrender is so, so important. So I anticipate this as a challenge, but I will not let it have any territory over my mind or attitude. That doesn’t mean that I am not going to fail, that will definitely happen. But I will not claim self-pride or lack of control as characteristics I hold in Christ. ( Don’t give your fears or struggles any more power than they have.)
What are you excited to pass onto your squad?
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I am super passionate about creativity and storytelling. The phrase, “ I’m just not creative” doesn’t really fly around me. The truth is this: We are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:1 states, “ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth”. Hence forth, if our heavenly Father is creative, that means that we are also creatives. So I love getting to see people explore with different forms of art and find freedom from perfection and trying to stay inside of the boxes.
How is preparing for team leading different from when you were on the race? How is God currently preparing you?
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It’s a lot different because now I actually know what Race life is like. I know somethings will be different since I am on the leadership side of things but also I will know a lot of what to expect. Also I’ve been off the field for a year now (WHAT) and so I have an understanding of how hard and weird and challenging that transition is.
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The Lord has me in a season of intense rest and intentionality January through April. It was so, so sweet and tender and now I am seeing that that was exactly what I needed then. It was like falling in love with the Father for the first time all over again and it was beautiful. During May my season has shifted and changed and now I’m back in the daily wrestle. The Lord has spoken grit, zeal, dependence; refinement. These words all sound nice but involve testing. Refinement includes the fire. So i’ve been battling the tension between my feelings versus reality and truth in the Lord, and remembering that EVERYTHING I have comes from Jesus. My joy, my energy, my purpose, my emotions, all of it was created by Him. And so even though I have been born into a world tainted by sin, I can still rest in the fact that Christ is enough. He WILL provide all I need.
What do you like best about living/serving outside of the US?
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I absolutely love getting to not only experience new cultures and customs but become immersed in them and having them become normalities. Like fitting as many humans into an 8 passenger van as possible and hanging on for dear life as we bump down the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal to ministry every day. Like early morning milk chai tea and “good day” cookies in Silmat, India. Like at 1 AM on Christmas morning all of the families in Recolleta, Chile sing Christmas carols in the street and play games until Santa drove past in a red pick up truck. Sweet, sweet memories.
What is some wisdom you learned on your first race that you can pass onto new racers?
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Ooh this is a big question haha. I could write a whole blog answering this question because the Father did so much in my heart over my race. I think the biggest thing the Lord did in my heart was show my where my identity was rooted and then helped me to shift so that my identity is now rooted firmly in Him. Everything comes back to identity. So I think my biggest thing I can pass on is to ask yourself if your identity is really rooted in Christ. Is He the most important thing? If you lost everything but Christ, how would you react? There is a song right now that is wrecking me in the best way called, “All is for your glory” by Cory Asbury. One of the lyrics says, “ So put me anywhere. Just put your glory in me. God, I’ll serve anywhere. Just let me see your beauty”. Dang- do you feel the weight of that? Saying, “God, put me anywhere but let me see your beauty. That’s all I need”.
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I think in our culture we have a tendency to get caught up in feelings about God and we end up missing God himself. Get in the wrestle with Him. It’s messy and requires grit but it will be so, so worth it.
Thanks for reading!! I so appreciate you all and your support. I am almost half-way to my goal of 3,000! I truly cannot do this without you so if you feel led to give, please click the donate link above! Thank you.
