Earlier this past week during our morning team devotional time, my teammate Hailey was leading our time, and she proposed this question for us to reflect on, and write down in our journals, and that question was:
“Look back over the Race and remember the good things that God has done for us (me), and praise those things.”
So I thought about this as there are just so many amazing things that God has done in and through me over the course of these last 7 months. So much so that I had to break it down into 2 main categories: Intimacy & Community.
COMMUNITY
- God has reveled to me all during the race that I do in fact need a larger community of like minded Christian young adults outside of my BSF family back home. God provided this by the means of the 32 others that make up P Squad. P squad has such a special bond with one another that we actually use the term “family” as the first thing that comes to mind when describing us, and the even cooler thing is that our leadership team starting calling us a family back in training camp, so they clearly knew that P squad was gonna be special, and sure enough they were right. I know I say this alot, but I absolutely love each one of like a brother or sister, and now I know that I will have a Christian community spread out all over the US.
- The love that we all have for one another is also something special as to me it feels just so real and genuine, plus the time and effort that we have all taken with one another is also a reflection of this love because we push each other to be more Christ like in our own lives. They are my family no matter what, and I am so honored to call them that.
- Team Surrendered (Sarah Ann-Jillian-Lauren-Martha & Kaitlin) & Team SC (Maggie-Hailey-Ashley B-Aundraya & Schyler): Where do I even begin to talk about both of these teams as they have had such a monumental impact on me and my journey then I would’ve thought they would have coming into the race. They have helped me to grow in so many ways and especially in areas where I didn’t even realize that I needed to grow in. Seeing them in their walk with God, and hearing their testimonies has just been such an encouraging times, and have made me reflect on my own journey with God. Yes I’ll admit there have been times that they have kicked my butt, and I wasn’t happy with that, but in the end all that butt kicking was out of love, and their desire to see me grow as a person, and to be more Christ-like in my daily life. I love each one of them like a sister, and I know that our bond will always be there, no matter where life may take us.
- Another huge (& surprising) blessing to me is my deep friendship that I have developed with Kaitlin, and just how much she alone has helped me grow as a fellow sister in Christ.
Intimacy
- The very 1st night of training camp I sat on the dining room porch stairs looking up gazing at the stars, and wondering to myself if this whole World Race thing was really for me, and questioning what exactly I had gotten myself into, and does God really see and know who I am? I prayed this to him, and sure enough he answered me in a big through our one of our leadership team members. What she told me was this: God wanted me to know that he does in fact see me, and knows that I am his, and that he loves me for who I am and I am worthy of being called his own. This statement would again come up during my month in Honduras where I was struggling with so many things, and once again God came through to me loud & clear by means of a fellow racer who was on a different squad who we were with for the Awakening. This was the start of renewing my intimacy with him.
- The rebirth of my prayer life & my personal quiet time with God. As this was something was severely lacking in my life prior to coming on the World Race. I still prayed to God, and asked for his help to answer those prayers, but it was forced and lacked in love to me since I used to see prayer as something that I had to do, and not the deep intimate time that it really is with God. As far as my personal quiet time & writing in my journal went it was literally non exisistant before the race as it was something that I never heard of til I went to training camp. Now I learned just how important both of these things in my spiritual life, and do my best to do both of these things daily.
- The amount of change & growth in me that I didn’t think was even possible. I knew coming into the Race that I was going to be changed in some kind of way, but I just didn’t know to what extent, and in the specific areas of my life such as feedback, my personal/Christian identity & breaking down walls that I have put up to protect myself. The change in me has been interesting to see, and its really cool to know that others have also seen this change in me. That all my trials & battles that I have had in my life, no matter how big or small, and the knowledge that I gained from those battles were for a purpose or to teach me something.
- A sense of freedom that I never thought I would have in my life, and the realization that I do have a higher calling in/for my life.
- God’s provision for my life in so many ways especially when it came to fundraising for the World Race.
HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!!!!!! HE IS RISEN!!!!!!!
Til next time your fellow sister in Christ,
Bonnie
Team SC
P Squad
Psalms 18:2
YOLO
