At the end of this race my mind is whirring like an old film picture show; sliding through all of the moments, adventures, and lessons that my memory can conjure up from these last nine months. I’m finding myself more than a little nostalgic.
At final debrief in Chiang Mai our entire squad received letters from ourselves that we wrote at launch in September. In my letter, I can see how God has abundantly and clearly answered all of the prayers I had when I started this year, it’s absolutely amazing! One of the the things that’s struck me most about about my letter however, was the way that I signed it off. I wrote, “Remember coming home that the God you met out on the field is the same God who is going to lead you coming back. Let Him lead and love well.” When I read that at final debrief I realized how scared I was that my intimacy with the Lord was going to crumble at home or that somehow He wouldn’t be the same miraculous God that I’ve come to know but that Holy Spirit penned line back in September has given me not just hope for this season but absolute joy!
The World Race has changed the trajectory of my life. God met me in these countries and he shaped and refined my character, identity, and calling. I’m going home now and I’m attending Virginia Wesleyan University in the fall to pursue International Studied and hopefully Law in my future. I believe it’s one of the many steps that God is going to use as he continues to reveal his plans to me about my future. Personally, I love school. I love to debate and discover, to meet my peers and to find God in that community. I think that this transition from the race to school might be a difficult one but it’s also exactly where God is placing me and I’m excited. Please continue to pray as I try to assimilate back into a culture that I’ve been so distant from these last few months.
God has revolutionized who I am with every lesson, teammate, living situation, culture, and trial that I walked through this year. Coming home, I am so grateful. So grateful to my team, who I love so dearly and so grateful to my mentors and my squad who have loved me endlessly. I feel ready now. I’m ready to come back home and let the same God I knew in Costa Rica, South Africa, Thailand, and Myanmar be sovereign over my life in the United States. I’m ready to let him lead and to come back and love well. I can’t wait to see you all, especially my family! I’m now only a flight away.
