The powers out again and I’m sitting in our hostel a little sticky thinking about all the packing up and moving that i’ve done and the many more hauls and traveling thats’ to come. i’m overwhelmed with thankfulness but if you asked me that on packing day i’d say “never again!” Funny how that works. With a little bit of perspective things become brighter and sweeter even when they might have felt like a complete disaster in the moment.
Here in my last month in Myanmar, this perspective is coming through even clearer than i could have imagined thanks to the most redeeming and gracious Father!
If i could make one thing known to you about this journey it is that it has been the most challengeing year of my life. In every country and every transition i’ve been uprooted and tested. i’ve been through what felt like at the time “disasters” that shook me and made me question my foundation and every detail in between. i have been given sweet sweet time to ask the hard questions about my identity and sit in the silence when answers weren’t clear. Jumping head first into a community that challenged me, frustrated me, and loved me fully was an initial shock and being asked and expected to surrender all that made me comfortable never got easy.
never again! you would think is what i’d say about this race, and i’d be lying if i didn’t tell you there weren’t sincere moments when i thought that. still here i am fully invested in month nine and looking back on all of those “disasters” with a spirit of joy and thankfulness. seeing how every test and every storm brought out even sweeter blessings and growth. i could have never expected to see so much redemption and clarity. As the Lord invited me to dig deeper, fight harder, and surrender more i fell to my knees in awe of how miraculous and gracious he is to my fragile heart!
Now here i go again! Expecting nothing but a sweet Father who is going to walk alongside me in every transition and every fight. Getting excited about all the new ways that Lord will show me how i can lay down my life for Him. Ready to pour all that i have out to these new racers. Ecstatic to surrender and already thankful for the challenges ahead of me.
The transition from Myanmar to home kinda seems like one of those scary movie trailer that you can’t avoid. The ones that make the movie look so good yet completely terrifying at the same time. and then you get dragged to the movie knowing that you’re gonna keep your eyes closed for the majority of it. yeah i’m not a scary movie fan.
I have no idea what to expect with culture shock and having to leave behind a community that has intensely and relentlessly impacted my life. It’s scary and there’s so much unknown. At the moment i’m replaying that trailer in my head trying to predict the ending and praying that it’s a happy one. And one scene that’s unavoidable in this scary movie… is fundraising! (like how i did that?)
When i get home i get to hop right back into the extremely humbling and simultaneously terrifying task of fundraising! another one of those things that i assuredly declared i would never do again! thankfully for the 3 months that i’ll be spending on the field in south africa i only have to raise $3,000. After witnessing the Lord provide for this race, i have no doubts he will do it again! And again i can’t thank y’all enough for your generosity and prayers in supporting me on this race!!!
Along with your support in prayer for my team and me, I would greatly appreciate and be humbled if you would consider partnering with me in the form of financial support. I said the world race was a once in a lifetime opportunity but i guess i was wrong cause He’s sending me out again. For this time around i get to guide these new racers through training camp, launch, and their first three months (september-november) in South Africa! A country that i fell so deeply in love with and that i can’t express how thankful i am for the opportunity to go back! Whether through monthly donations, a one-time donation, or your thoughts and prayer anything and everything is a huge blessing in this next transition!!!!
and…. For those of y’all who are interested i probably won’t be traveling the world for the rest of my life! After the three months on the field i plan on starting college spring semester! After all this moving around i’m really excited to plant some solid roots at Messiah College!!!
thank y’all so much for reading this blog. all of the encouragement and support is overwhelming and i can’t put into words how grateful i am to have such an amazing community!
Keep your eyes peeled for my next blog that will be all about what the Lord has been doing here in Myanmar and Thailand!
