Here are a few numbers that just might blow your mind as much as it did mine…. December 15th marked the 100th day I have been on the World Race. A couple days from now marks 14 months since I was accepted and next month marks the half way point of the race. WHERE DOES TIME GO!!!! Every day feels like it’s so long and then all of the sudden i’m in bed about to go to sleep within a matter of seconds.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day” 2 Peter 3:8
Travel update: After 9 days of travel, many hours in a plane and even more hours on sketchy bus’s, we have made it to our new home! My team and one other team are city living in the middle of the mountains in Southeast Asia.
In celebration of 100 days on the field, I thought I would make a list of 10 key points that the Lord has walked me through so far on the race.
1. The definition of Faith is believing in something even when you cannot see it or understand it. I won’t have all the answers and most of the time I won’t receive answers when I think I need them. This is when I get to choose to have faith in our God. I get to hold on to the fact that He has never failed me and He remains good, even when everything else feels bad. I choose to have faith in the unknown.
2. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE is made in the reflection of Abba. That includes yourself and everyone around you. This means that every single person you encounter carries a different quality of our perfect creator. If you carry on your day with that perspective in the fore front of your mind, it changes the way you see yourself and everyone around you. You’ll be surprised how much you see Jesus this way. Let me ask you something, why is it that everyone will look at a beautiful sunset and gawk over how amazing Jesus created it, but once someone looks in a mirror or at one another they don’t see the same beauty? In reality, Jesus perfectly created both.
3. Finding my worth in the Lord. Once upon a time, I used to find my confidence and my identity in other peoples opinions. Abba showed me the last few months that his opinion of me is the only one that matters. If I continue to live my life in fear of what everyone on earth will think of me, I will be simply living in misery.
4. Before the race I had a super irrational fear of praying out loud. It was awful and I refused to do it at all costs, for no reason. Since training camp, my team has done a really good job of building my confidence with it. I am happy to say it is one of my favorite things to do now. Specifically since we got to Asia I find myself always being the first one to want to pray for other people. FREEDOM TASTES GOOD PEOPLE!!!
5. The Lord has taught me so much about His light and joy. I even got a tattoo for it! I am going to write a blog about this soon, so I won’t spoil too much about this one.
6. Love. This is a bigggggg one. An important thing I have recently opened my eyes to is the fact that for my whole life I have been striving to find perfect love in people, when in reality it is simply impossible for a human to love another human perfectly. The only way to find perfect love is through Jesus.
7. Jesus cares about the little things just as much as the big. Going to God first with everything before going to another person is in all ways beneficial. Let me say it once more for the people in back, GOING TO GOD FIRST IS ALWAYS BENEFICIAL.
8. Teaching. I have found an unbelievable passion for teaching the Gospel. I started to see this in Swaziland, but ever since we got to Asia it has been so amazing to work at the school.
9. Community is sooooooo important. The people you choose to surround yourself with will become who you become. No one ever believes that and never wants to accept it, but it is simply true. Having a solid foundation and support system to always be there to catch you and point you back to the Lord is SO IMPORTANT.
10. TESTIMONIES SAVE LIVES. Every story and everyday is a testimony. Sharing these stories will always touch the life of the least expected person every time. SHARE THE LITTLE STORIES TOO!
Fundraising Update: I am at $12,430!!! Thank you times a million to everyone who has supported me. I am roughly $4,200 away from being fully funded. I have full and complete faith that the Lord will provide. Will everyone please just continue praying for provision over fundraising for my squad and I.
Side Note- I have chosen to not use my phone for the month to stay present and to get the most out of this season. You can contact me by commenting on my blog or emailing 🙂
Love, Sam <3
