Launch is officially over and I am now officially on the World Race! Launch was a four day ordeal that prepared us to leave the country and share the gospel with others. They talked about team conflict and how to solve it, reviewed things we learned at training camp, and we all said goodbye to our families. It was hard and exciting. I am excited to go on this mission and follow God’s lead, but it’s hard to leave everything behind like my family, dog, friends, coffee, and the way I am used to doing life every day. Things will not be the same after this trip, I am sure of that. When I said goodbye to Boston, I was ready. I was ready for new adventures and new places. I’m leaving the past behind and stepping into something new.
On Tuesday, my squad officially got our first iteanrry. The itinerary is as follows…
Atlanta, GA —> wednesday – Boston, MA (14 hour layover) —> wednesday to thursday – 11 hour flight to Qatar (14 1/2 layover) —> friday – 9 hour flight to Johannesburg with half of my squad and we will be staying somewhere over night in South Africa —> saturday – 4 hour bus ride to Swaziland
Did you catch that? 14 HOUR LAYOVER IN BOSTON.
BOSTON OF ALL THE PLACES.
I am currently sitting in Boston writing this post. To be honest, it’s very weird for me and I do have some confusing emotions running through me. Boston is my home. It’s where I have spent a huge chunk of my life. It’s where I have gone with friends, on field trips, for dinner, to walk around. But here I am, under completely different circumstances with completely different people, people who have never stepped foot in Boston. It doesn’t feel like I’m in Boston, it doesn’t quite feel real.
Of course I’m thrilled to be here, I love my city. But it’s the fact that I’ve already said goodbye and God has brought me back here. Not just for a few hours, but rather for an entire day. On the flight over here I spent some time praying and asking why God is bringing me back. I know going to Boston isn’t just for me. There are 50ish people that are being brought here for a reason. But the fact that God is bringing me back here to my hometown is making me wonder why I am coming back.
Today I had the chance to go out and explore Boston with my team leaders and squad mates. On the ride into the city, I started tearing up, I realized how much I am going to miss this place. While we were there, God really used the people I was with to minister to my heart. My sweet friend Liz said that this doesn’t feel like a missions trip yet, it feels like a weekend with friends; and she was right. While we are excited for missions, it was nice to take the time to invest in each other and get to know one another.
A few nights prior I was in the depths of despair (ok not really but…). I felt like there weren’t a lot of people I was able to click with on my squad. I felt like everyone had a person they clicked with but I was the odd one out. It made me doubt if I was even in the right group. Throughout this layover in Boston, and the time I got to spend with some of my squad mates today, I know I am in the right place. Through Sarah Z., Jesse, Brie, Sam, Trevor, Madeline, Julie, and Liz, God used them today to really minister to my heart and show me I am in the right place and these are my people. God does not make mistakes where He puts us, even when we question why. He is a good, perfect and kind God.
I’m learning and I’m growing. I feel God stretching me and It’s only day one of the World Race. I’m excited to see what God is going to do and how the friendships on my squad is going to grow.
My next stop is Qatar in the middle east and after that Africa. I’m not of the next time I will have wifi. Please continue to pray for my squad over these next days, weeks and months as we travel to Swaziland and begin ministry. I will mis home, I am sure of it. I am even more sure, that this is where God wants me. This is my home for the next 9 months and I thank God for that.
