Hello fam,
This is not a blog post I ever thought I would have to write, and especially not in month 6 of the World Race. But with the Coronavirus being what it is, and countries closing their borders, the Adventures in Missions organization has decided to pull their teams off the field, as safety is their number one priority. So with that being said, I’m coming home.
I hate that I had to type those words just now, and I certainly couldn’t do it without tears rolling down my face. This place, these people, the experiences and opportunities that have been unfolding these past 6 months have very literally changed my life. And as I sit here in this bus driving through Africa for the last time, it quite honestly doesn’t seem real. It feels unfinished, and cruelly abrupt to end like this, possibly a feeling only the 18 teammates surrounding me right now will ever understand. Twelve hours notice to pack our bags and start the journey home feels like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from. I’m heartbroken. I’m not ready to leave.
Though my mind is trying to process a million different thoughts and feelings all at once, I will undoubtedly remain grounded in truth. I will fix my eyes on the one who called me into this season with the full knowledge of how and when it would end. I will grieve the loss of what could have been and I will mourn all the moments I was looking forward to, and tears will continue to fall whenever I think about it, but I will not be discouraged. My hope lies in the character of God, not my circumstances. His faithfulness is unwavering and His ways are higher than mine. He has never failed me and He never will. I serve a King who is so worthy to be praised, and such will be my response.
Something tells me the word ‘bittersweet’ will hold heavy weight for me in these coming months. I will cherish many moments back home while still feeling that a piece of me is amongst the nations, forever in every country I have visited and, in some way that I can’t explain, even the ones I had yet to visit.
So today I’ll just sit with God in my sadness, and as His comfort washes over me I will let my heart find joy in the hopeful expectation of what is to come. I will continue to change the world, and my feet will continue to be on holy ground as the gospel of peace accompanies me home. My mission field will just look different than expected.
If I were to get into all the ways God has moved in my life and the perspectives He’s given me and the things He’s taught me and shown me through the World Race, this blog would be a book. So for now I’ll just let it unfold in my life going forward, and let the fruit of this season be a testimony of the goodness of God.
Lastly I just want to thank every single one of you for following this journey and supporting me in every and any way. Your prayers have been tangible. You’ve been much more a part of this than you’ll ever know. This is not an end, it’s just a detour. And with the same breath I uttered ‘here I am send me’ when I left home, I will utter all the more as I come home.
See you soon family.
Kaelyn Gauthier
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6
