After a nearly two month hiatus from blogging, I have gathered my once-jumbled thoughts enough to update you on the past few months in my life…
It’s been really difficult trying to grasp what exactly transpired this summer. I feel as if the memories, stresses, highs and lows all blur together. I was eager to head down to Haiti and catch a glimpse of what God is doing there in the aftermath but I found myself realizing more and more that God had something in store for me in all of it. I got broken. I hit an emotional tipping point that I’ve never experienced before and I learned the value of staying connected to the source for your identity’s sake. Miscommunication, confusion, frustration, plans A, B, and C falling through were constant themes throughout the entire summer. It became easier and easier to feel like I was failing or letting someone down and my weakness of people-pleasing was exposed. What’s interesting about all of this is that I know that no matter how much I wanted to think I was the reason for things not going according to “plan”, God had those things in mind all along. I now know something that I did not see in the midst of everything.
I cannot thwart his plans no matter how much I think I’m the culprit.
Breakthrough came. I spent the summer with some amazing men and women of God who dove into community on a whole new level. A group of people who desire nothing more than to make each other great and to go after the things that are on the heart of God. Four of us (Matt Ruple, Seth Jr, Neil Bruinsma, and I) will be moving to Gainesville to work for AIM in various capacities this next year along with pursuing some different ideas as a team. Throughout the summer these guys challenged me and encouraged my spirit in the midst of tremendous frustration with setup.
I also had the opportunity to fly out to Thailand at the end of June to meet up with the J-squad as they celebrated their final debrief. After spending four months with them on the field, it was incredible to see where God had taken them by the end of that 11-month journey. I saw a transformed group. A people who walked through the fire of refinement in order to step into the calling that God has on their lives. I’m excited to see what God has in store for them as they continue in this next season and I know that they will be difference-makers in this world.
As for me, I will continue on staff with the World Race for the next year as a part of the logistics team. I am stepping into a new role on setup which currently requires me to pave the way in Central and South America for the upcoming squads as well as becoming the active field support role for our current squad logistics people. I will be staying in office mostly and basing out of the AIM headquarters. I feel like the Lord has been speaking to me about building and fostering different friendships that I haven’t invested in for a long time. In order to do that, it has become clear that I need to rest from traveling so much and stay put in one location.
As far as what’s next, I’ve begun studying for the GMAT in preparation for business school next fall. I am planning on pursuing an International MBA in economic development or entrepreneurship. I’d like to continue in ministry to the nations by creating opportunities for ideas to take off through micro-enterprise and other avenues and I feel like this is the next step toward that. I’d like to ask for your continued partnership both financially and prayerfully as I seek the Lord through this next season in my work with the World Race. As the World Race continues to grow and expand, the need for workers becomes greater and greater and I hope to play a part in getting people on board with the movement.
For this next month, I will be meeting with supporters and seeking out new partners in ministry so that I can walk into this next year without worry of support coming in. It’s a faith-walk, but he never fails to provide and he never ceases to amaze me in his goodness and favor.
