What a journey! What an amazing, life changing journey. I honestly don’t know how to start this blog because I never thought I would be writing this. But isn’t it comforting to know that God already saw all of this coming and He has equipped us with everything we need?
I think I’ll start here: The two and a half months I was on the field were filled with ups and downs, challenges and over comings, boldness and humbling, eye openings and mouth closings, trial and error, and learning and growing. I could probably write a book with the things I learned in this short period of time. Guys, the Bible is real, it’s stories and lessons are real, and it’s warnings are real! And at the same time, God’s unfailing Love is real, the Spiritual gifts are real, His presence is real, His healing power is real, and His morals and values are real! I have never seen how incredibly relevant the Bible is today until I went on this Race. I knew it was true, but I never fully knew to it’s full extent how what the Bible talked about way back then is still happening now. Evil spirit possessions? Spiritual warfare? Idol worship? Demon worship? The Name of Jesus prayed over someone for healing and worked? The Word of God driving away dark spirits? Seeing the Holy Spirit transform lives? Speaking in tongues? Prophesying? Getting visions for people? Tangibly feeling the Holy Spirit activating inside me? Wrestling with God? Having my heart and soul changed by God forever? Trying to explain and share the Gospel to people who speak another language? Being a part of a body of believers that make a difference in the world? I have seen, experienced, and lived all of these and I cannot express how much I wish these things became heart knowledge instead of just head knowledge for so long. I had read about all of these in the Bible, but besides one or two of them, I never first hand seen and experienced them until the Race. I read a quote the other day by Paul G. Hiebert that says, “ [He] came to realize that his western training had made him become unaware of the world of spirits both good and evil, which the majority of the world never lost sight of.” I read this and thought, “Yep. That’s it! That’s exactly one of the thoughts I had when I came back to America.”
I am not sharing all of this to gloat and boast. I am sharing this because I asked the Holy Spirit to help guide my hands as I typed this hoping this would open up people’s eyes and maybe, just maybe change the way you walk your Spiritual life with God like it did me. I was living a very cushioned Christian life for years. Did the whole church thing on Sundays and then try my best to do good throughout the week without really taking that step into all God had for me. He was always there patiently waiting for me. Can I tell you that God is waiting patiently for you too? He loves you so so much and He is just waiting for you to open your eyes to all of His Truth and Love. He’s real. Keep pressing in, keep asking those tough questions. He will reveal the truth to you! It wasn’t until the past two years (more significantly in the past 6 months) that I started to get it. And I cannot express how happy and thankful I am for that. It has changed my life forever.
Last time I updated all of you, I was still in the waiting. I was waiting for the big email from Adventures in Missions about relaunch options and where to go next in the midst of this global pandemic. For those 60 days between the day I came home from Thailand and the day we got that email, I had been spending precious time with the Lord, my family, and doing things I haven’t had time to do before. I picked up painting again, I’ve been able to read more, and I picked up new exercise hobbies and routines. But the most important thing I did was grow in my relationship with the Father. And through that, I have begun to develop what John 10:27 and Isaiah 30:21 talks about: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
With all of that said, after sitting and praying for direction with all of these options in front of me from the World Race, God spoke to me very clearly. I will not be returning to the field with the World Race like I expected to. It wasn’t easy to hear this. The World Race has been a dream of mine for over 6 years and now God is telling me that my time with the Race is done and that He has something else planned for me. I am learning that we need to intentionally live our lives in surrender and obedience even if it isn’t what we had planned. A friend of mine told me something after hearing of my experiences on the field that will always stay with me, “What you have experienced in just two and a half months, most people don’t learn in a lifetime.” What God wanted to do in me and through me, He did in two and a half months instead of the eleven. And even though I am not walking away with the full 11 months I was expecting to get, I got something that is worth everything.
This isn’t goodbye though! You will find me doing local missions work here in Florida during the time God has me here. I have been blessed to have gone out and serve in many countries around the world in the last ten years. But now, I believe God is calling me to bring what I have learned in international missions to my local community. People here need Jesus just as much as anyone else and I am excited to see what that will look like going forward. But of course, I still have a deep desire for international missions and one day, I’m hoping God will allow me to do more of that since He knows the desires of my heart.
As I continue this life journey, I really hope to keep you guys a part of what God is doing. I want to keep sharing life with you, and I know God is working in your lives too so, I want to hear from you about what you are learning in this season! I’d love to keep the conversation going. Thank you to each and every one of you for playing an important part of this transformational journey. I couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you for your prayers, your support both emotionally and financially, and for walking this journey with me. God has completely changed my life once again and I know and believe many lives all around the world have been changed because of the work we got to do through The World Race.
Until next time,
Isabel
