A big theme that Adventures in Missions and the World Race encourages on their participants is to have a “yes” in your spirit. When that homeless man is on your heart and it crosses your mind to buy him a meal, say yes; when you suddenly want to pray out loud for your barista, say yes; when you’re called to an eleven month mission trip to eleven different countries, say yes.
I said yes when God laid it on my heart to go on the World Race. I was filled with joy and excitement to see what He had in store for me traveling the world for a year and how He would glorify Himself through it. God truly gave me a very special gift in getting to know C Squad, my coaches and leadership team, and the people of Southeast Asia. But as a wiser man than me once said, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” God has now taken away that precious gift and is sending me back home to the United States.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Adventures in Mission is removing my squad from the field.
I’ve always felt emotions with my brain; if I’m feeling anxious or scared it’s because intellectually I know I can’t do something, and if I’m excited or joyful it’s because my mind knows something exciting is about to happen. This is the first time I can recollect where my mind and emotions are in polar opposites. Intellectually I know that God is sovereign and that He’s using this for His glory, and that sending me home is in fact an act of love towards me. Emotionally, I’m angry, mournful, and anxious.
My squadmate Angelica put it beautifully when she said, “My flesh is sad but my spirit is joyful.” At the end of the day, despite the emotional rollercoaster, I am at peace with God’s decision. I’d be lying if I said I liked what He’s doing, but He’s doing a work that will be awesome to behold.
In the past 24 hours I’ve witnessed so much of His goodness and love from my neighbors. Being able to mourn with my squad as we prepare to leave has been a blessing I’ll never be able to do justice to in words. We’ve discussed why the coronavirus exists (is it God’s wrath? Is it the devil at work? Is God using it to draw our attention towards Him?), prayed over each other, laughed and cried as a body of believers. Even little things like having one last Adventure Day was amazing. And I’ve received a nonstop flood of encouragement from people back home. Literally hundreds of people have prayed for me and my teammates by name in the past twenty-four hours. It’s truly awesome to see everyone I know rallying around this.
These two songs have been my anthem since I received that email with the bad news. The truth in God’s promises and the lessons learned in Penang have been my rock. I’m sure I’m not the only one going through a difficult time, and to everyone else who’s suffering due to the coronavirus, go read James 1: 2-5. It’s a real problem-solver.
But please continue to pray for me as I readjust to life at home and figure out what my future looks like. And above all, make sure to safe some toilet paper for me.
