I knew in month 3 of my race that I would not be going into public accounting upon returning home. Don’t get me wrong I loved tax consulting and will forever thank Grant Thornton for igniting that passion of mine, but when it came down to it I could feel that God had something different in mind. I fought it for a while. I mean… its hard to turn down a job you enjoy doing with a company that cultivates your passions for the job… not to mention the good pay.
It was truly a hard-fought battle. God had introduced me to a kind of freedom in Him that I hadn’t yet experienced, and it came through laying everything down, leaving it behind, and stepping in faith. I imagined I could take that new-found freedom into my work space, and absolutely I could have. Bringing Kingdom does not require going oversees or even across town, but rather can happen right where you are. Despite this fact something was off, and I couldn’t bring myself to give a full “yes” to moving to Houston after the race any longer.
Fast forward to month 8 and I’m still in the same spot. I feel that God has placed the freedom of decision into my court. During my time in Kazakhstan I prayed for a little more guidance. That doors would be opened or closed as only God can do. Of course, He came through on this request, which leads me to say be careful what you pray for our God really does listen and He responds.
Anyway, I find out I am missing a class that I need to sit for the Texas CPA exam. Call it my own dumb mistake, which is exactly what it was… or call it God working all things together for my good, which is also exactly what it was. Without qualifying for the exam, I cannot begin work with my firm.
Finally, I felt I was free to chase what God had laid on my heart since month 3. That being, to stay on the mission field as an Alumni Leader for the World Race.
What does this mean? It means that after returning from my trip in December I will have a month home before flying back out. This time it will be for a stint of five months. My role will be to go out with a new squad and to lead/disciple them for the first five months of their race. After this, leaders from within their own squad will be raised up and I will return home again.
That means that starting this January I will be traveling to Japan > Taiwan > China > Mongolia > & Kazakhstan!!
While ultimately I feel a calling to return home and to sit for the CPA exam (in my home state of Arkansas), I believe God is not quite done using me here on the race or done teaching me things through it. I plan to use this next five months to continue learning what it looks like to live a life of boldness for Christ in our world today, dreaming with Him about how I can best serve and bring Kingdom as a CPA, and to help others step into the same freedom that I have found during my race.
For this next go around, I will need to meet a fundraising requirement of $3,500. This covers all my on-field expenses for the five months I will be out plus my flights to and from America. My new donation bar is currently up! All that’s needed is to click on my fundraising bar to contribute to my trip. If you have questions about this next season do not hesitate to reach out to me. My email is [email protected].
Below are some photos from my first 46 miles of the Camino in Spain!
