today marks one month here on the race! I’m writing this blog after coming back from chopping wood for our campsite, and I’d love to share a few highlights from the first month here, as well as some prayer requests for this coming month 🙂
one of my favorite parts of this month was about two weeks ago, when we joined together as a squad and got to worship by washing each other’s feet. John 13 tells the story of when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, and verses 13-16 say “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
washing the feet of every person on our squad, leaders and racers alike, was a wonderful way to learn and understand that we get to humbly partner with each other as we serve our Father together, and it is a joyful example of how we get to serve one another for the next eight months.
another highlight from the first month on the race was a teaching that we had on the topic of healing. we dove into scripture, talking about times where Jesus healed people, and times where the Lord, in His sovereignty, decided not to heal; one story in particular that we focused on is found in Daniel 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the fiery furnace. their heart posture in the situation is described in verses 17-18 of that chapter, where they tell the king that “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, o king, but even if not, be it known to you, o king, that we will not serve your gods.”
these words not only prove the strong testimony of these three men, but also teach us how to have faith as we pray for healing over our bodies – to pray in faith that the Lord can, trusting that one day our bodies will be restored, but also knowing that in His sovereign timing, that day might not happen until heaven. after this teaching, we prayed over multiple teammates that were struggling with physical pain, and two testimonies stand out, making this a highlight of the month. one girl on our squad received a drastic relief of pain in her knee as we prayed! we also prayed for relief from a lingering headache, for a guy on our squad, and he did not receive healing in the moment. yet in both situations, we were able to worship in complete thankfulness. we get to worship in the healing, in the relief, and in the hardest trials – not because of our circumstances, but because we worship a God whose timing we can trust, and whose love we know to be true.
the last thing I’d like to highlight that I’ve experienced in the past month is just the simple joys of abiding in the Lord. from fall weather, to new shower buildings (no more bucket showers!), to pressing wildflowers in my Bible, our God is so faithful! He’s faithful to meet us in the big things, like feet washing and prayers for healing, but His faithfulness doesn’t stop with the little things either – and through that lens, I’m learning to see His hand in everything, even something as small as picking a wildflower, a carefully and intentionally crafted wildflower, and let me tell you, His creation is beautiful glimpse of the Father that we serve. and it’s only a glimpse of His grace, His care, His design, His strength, and His faithfulness. so all in all, I guess my last (and biggest) highlight of the month is just Jesus. He’s good 🙂
I would also love to update you all on some ways you can partner with me in prayer as we move into our second month here in Gainesville!
one simple way that you can be praying for me and my squad is for continued health. there are about 200 people living on the base (between all the squads that are here) and there has not been one single covid case! praise the Lord for that! so I would love prayers of gratitude for the way that the Lord is sustaining us, and prayers for health during this month also.
and the second way you can partner with me in prayer is by praying for an outreach trip that my squad and I will be going on! during the last week of October, we are going to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to partner with Samaritan’s Purse and aid in disaster relief in the area. as we prepare to leave for the week of ministry, I would love prayer for my squad, that the Father would equip us for the service He has laid out for us. during the week, we would also love prayer for health and safety, as well as intentional eyes and hearts that see each other with love and are willing to serve, no matter how easy or hard it may be.
I can’t say this enough, but thank you. thank you so much for being faithful to reach out to me, and faithful in praying for me and my squad! I am truly grateful to be here, and sharing my joy with you guys, my family and friends, makes it even sweeter 🙂 happy one month!
