God is already stirring things up.
The day before launch I received a message saying that I was no longer apart of Team Redeemed and, to be honest, I was devastated. I spent a lot of time with this team at training camp and was able to keep up with them during the time in between training camp and launch. I hadn’t even had the chance to do a single day of life on the Race with them yet. After I received the message, I asked “Do I have to switch teams?”, hoping to hear a “No, if you want to stay with them you can”. However, I was told that I had to and I completely understood why. I’m sure you noticed that on my previous team, I was the only guy. However, it was planned for our Team Leader to be a guy so I wouldn’t be alone. God had other plans for him as he isn’t launching with us, therefore, I had to switch teams.
Switching teams really didn’t sit well with me. I wrestled with the fact that I had to start over with a new team. I cringed thinking about the fact that I was going to be joining a team that was already close to one another, just like I was with my previous team. I struggled because it made me uncomfortable. And once I realized the deep root of being uncomfortable, I heard the whisper “Welcome to The World Race”.
The World Race is meant to take you out of your comfort zone. Think about it..
I am leaving my home in small town Connersville, Indiana to live with and show the love of Christ to people in places I never thought I would be. I’ll be sleeping in a tent, I’ll probably have to eat bugs (I am going to try my best to avoid this though), I’ll have to go long periods of time without communicating with friends and family back home, I’ll have to go periods of time without a hot shower, or even a shower at all. I’ll have to wear clothes over and over again without washing them, I am going to have to completely and fully trust and depend on God to get me through these unknown eleven months…
Now you tell me what part of any of that sounds comfortable?
You know which one is the least comfortable? Having to trust God that the unknown of these eleven months will be good for me. It’s so easy to say “I trust God with everything”, everyone does that. But, when you walk in that, it definitely becomes uncomfortable. Trusting in His plan is so hard at times. What brings me through, though, is looking back at every hard and uncomfortable situation He has brought me through and realizing that He has had this planned all along.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Now, I hope this didn’t make you think “well, dang, he must not like his new team or he must not want to be with them” because that is definitely true. JUST KIDDING. That’s not true at all. I am excited to be with them and looking forward to seeing what things God has in store for me with this team and in store for all of us out on the field. I get to be with my bros again, whom I became close with at training camp, and I have the pleasure of getting to know, grow, and serve with four more awesome, God fearing women. God is still God, no matter where I am, what I’m doing, or who I’m with, and He’s still going to do God things regardless of any situation.
Wow, God is on the move already and we haven’t even left for our first country, Spain, yet. I can’t wait to begin this journey with my new team and tackle this thing called The World Race. This joy ride is going to be everything from terrible to incredible and I am beyond ready for this. This wouldn’t be any fun without some joy riders, though, right?
Say hello to my new team, Team Joy Riders. Please keep us all in your prayers as we are flying out tomorrow to begin the Race!
From Left to Right: Amber, Breanna, Tyler, Hadassah, myself, Allison, and Daniel.
