The things I’ve seen and experienced in the last 9 months, the things I’ve learned and the ways I’ve grown… How do I put it into words? This crazy ride has been more strange and beautiful than I could find words to perfectly describe.
One thing I’m sure of is that God has been so, so good to me. I could never explain it in full, but heres a short summary of my experience on the Race and what it all meant.
SWAZILAND: FREEDOM
I remember traveling to our first country, Swaziland, full of excitement and expectations, not knowing what the next nine months would hold. When we arrived, our base was still being built, we were in the bush of rural Africa, we had no electricity or wifi, nowhere to go except for one small cafe that all 50 of would try to pack into to text our families and eat something other than hard-boiled eggs and peanut butter-jelly sandwiches. In these first three months, I realized how little I actually need to survive. I abandoned the things that I’d been comfortably living with for so long and learned that true joy comes from above. After the girls on my squad did something called Stand Up For Your Sister, I found a crazy amount of freedom from hurts, sin, and shame from my past. God restored and redeemed pieces of my heart that I didn’t even realize were broken. He spoke new Life and true identity over me. Stories that I read in Scripture became real to me- the TRUTH of the word of God turned from stories I grew up hearing to miracles and people that meant something significant to my life.
NEPAL: PASSION
Nepal was the fastest and shortest month of my life at the same time. One of my favorite moments on the entire Race was when we arrived at our host’s home in Kathmandu after flying there from Africa; I walked onto the roof, and looked out among the packed-together city. Even though I was in a completely different country, a country that worships thousands of other gods, I could still feel the presence of God so heavily upon me on that rooftop, and I stood in awe as it hit me that there is NO PLACE ON EARTH that his Spirit won’t stand. With a different ministry every day and a host family who lived the Love of Jesus better and more boldly than anyone I’d ever seen before, God showed me what passion for his Kingdom looks like. From then on He’s been setting my own heart more ablaze to restore the zest and worship for Christ in the hearts of his people- life with Him is the definition of fun and fulfilling. So many people are sold a cheap, boring, and religious Gospel and don’t realize how exciting the Good News of our relationship with Christ really is. After spending 2 weeks (including Christmas) camping in the jungle with a perfect view of the Himalayas, I was humbled and dazzled by God’s creation, and by His faithfulness to reach the farthest, most out-of-reach people. I could write a whole book on this month.
INDIA: DEPENDANCY
India was a little more of a struggle for me, and it was nothing at all like the India I expected. Month 5 rolled around and living with 50 crazy teenagers started to bring out the worst in my introverted side. Thankfully, hardship brings growth, and these two months were when I learned the most about the Holy Spirit and suffering for the sake of the Gospel. I learned that the Holy Spirit is my best friend, there to guide me and give me peace in times of frustration or hardship, and to be my refuge in times of difficulty. My life will never be the same because of the things I learned there. I think sometimes the best fruit comes from the hardest toil in the garden.
GUATEMALA: INTIMACY
Guatemala. As soon as I stepped off the plane it felt like home. In Guatemala, God reminded me that he is a God of wonders and miracles. We had an amazing staff who were constantly pouring into us, loving us, and teaching us new things. I realized here that there is so much power in our words and the importance that we use our words to speak life over our situations and each other. The Lord also continued to restore and remind me of my true identity in Him. He gave me so many examples of how I desire to live my life back home, and called me higher into his presence and deeper into his love through worship. In the last month, I began to lead worship completely in Spanish at a local church and God spoke more assurance over me than ever for my future in using this gift to bring him Glory. Here I also learned how to journal my Father’s voice and realized the importance of a Secret Place with him- that I truly can delight myself in Him and everything else should be an overflow of my intimacy with Him.
Although I learned and experienced lots of different things, I think the most important thing I’m taking away from this season of my life is simply a greater understanding of God’s Love for me and mine for him. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is Love. Not my circumstance, not where I am in the world- I know who I am because of that Love. I know more about who He is because of it too. His Love for me doesn’t depend on how much mission work I’ve done or how many worship sets I’ve led. It’s just because I’m his daughter. It’s just because He loves me, because He loves me, because He loves me, because He loves me. End of story. I’m looking forward to walking in my new identity back in America and helping others realize that this is their story too. The “mission” doesn’t end because the Race is over. I’ve got a bigger Race to continue to run, and going home is just the beginning. The only thing I have left to say is thank you Jesus.
If you would like to talk or get coffee, I would love to make time to be with you, talk about my experiences and hear about what’s been happening in your lives as well! Just comment here, email me, or text me.
From my heart to yours,
Abigail
