My time in Swaziland has come to an end and today we are leaving Africa and beginning travel to Myanmar (Burma). Because this will be my last post until we get to Asia, I would like to bring to conclusion what the first chapter of my Race looked like.
During the first few weeks here, everything was dull and brown. The trees, grass, ground, mountains, my socks… Swaziland was in a severe drought and desperate for any bit of moisture. Over the past 3 months the Lord has blessed this land with an abundance of rain, and I’ve seen what used to be dead, brown, and dry fill with life and bright color (my socks were only filled with more of the color brown). In a very similar way, coming to Swaziland I was desperate for the Lord to pour into me His spring of living water and He hasn’t ceased to bring my cup to an overflow. I came expectant the Lord would do as He does and move in big ways, and He did so by means unimaginable.
This past week we went to the prison one last time. We shared a song my team and I wrote, preached, and ended with the prisoners praying over us. As a parting gift one of the guards gave me a towel embroidered with the prison logo and Joshua 1:6. It was a bittersweet moment, but I will long be inspired by the joy in those men despite their circumstances. Though they may be physically chained, the Lord has given them freedom from their spiritual bondage and in that they have reason to sing.
I’ve been reflecting and processing this past season. Everything from discovering what it looks like to sit and have a conversation with the Lord, learning to walk in my identity in Christ as well as the power and authority we have in Him, living in community with forty other men and women learning to function as the Body of Christ, discovering new gifts and learning to use my current gifts and talents effectively, and understanding what complete surrender looks were huge areas of growth.
Looking back, Swaziland created memories, like teaching puberty to young boys (it’s not easy to explain the male anatomy to kids that don’t speak English) or spinning a child only to look up and there be 10 more children wanting to be spun. Hiking a mountain into another country, walking on a beach in South Africa, snorkeling with sharks, the electricity going out at least once a week, squeezing 30 people into a 12-passenger van, the kitchen sink daily forming a muddy lake on the floor, burning trash every week, writing a song with my team, snails and spiders the size of my foot, extreme lightning shows in the middle of the night, teaching guitar and celebrating Thanksgiving with my squad and all the people we’ve gotten to know are moments that defined my experience of Africa and memories I will forever remember.
Our alumni team leader’s time on the field is over and currently on a flight back home. In this next season, I’ve been given the opportunity to lead my team for the remaining 6 months of The Race. When first deciding if I should say “yes” to team leading I was uncertain and needed time to process with the Lord what stepping into this would look like. I sat with the Lord that night and He gave me great peace and assurance stepping into this role. The following day, I received an email from a friend back home which in short said the Lord was telling her to tell me to say “yes” to whatever decision I was currently facing. This brought further confirmation this is what the Lord wanted me to do. I am looking forward to seeing how He plans to grow me through team leading. As I learn to walk in humility and servanthood, I am confident the work the Lord began in me, He will further bring to completion for His glory.
A few things you can be praying for: As I step into team leading, may I be able to do it effectively with complete confidence and reliance on the Lord. Not to let the position become who I am, but to be steadfast in my identity in who the Lord says I am. Also, be praying for me while we travel over the course of the next 7 days (things get crazy when traveling on The World Race) Lastly, be praying for our time in Myanmar. My squad will be split up throughout the country and it will be a much different experience than our time in Africa.
Alas, this past week was full of hard goodbyes. To children at care points, our alumni team leaders and ministry hosts as well as friends we’ve made along the way. Goodbyes are part of life, especially on The Race. A lot is changing, and things are going to be different now, but that’s not a bad thing. I know Papa has great plans for each of us and this is still only the beginning to something even more amazing because His plans are always better than what we could ever imagine. Even when I think “how could it possibly get better than this?” He never ceases to amaze me.
