“You should pray about Alumni Team Leading Lish, I think it would be good.”
This is a conversation that my soon to be squad leader spoke to me in a hotel tucked in away in the woods of Nicaragua. I remember immediately thinking to myself, “Lord if you want me to go back out this coming January, you have to do it in a way I can’t deny” In a way I was asking Him to show me the impossible.
As the race was ending, I was beginning to pray for the re-entry of my squad, and myself. I knew this would be one of the more difficult transitions in my life, and I had no idea really want to expect. I would be going back to Colorado for a few weeks, then to Florida to see my brother for Christmas, and then to Georgia for project Searchlight, and a wedding. It felt like I was going to be digging my feet in too quickly, but I already set these plans in stone. I prayed for the patience and grace of my family and friends, and I asked that I would have even more of that same patience and grace for myself. More than anything, I prayed for this year to truly mean something in my life. I wanted it to speak to the fact that there is a God who loves so fierce that he sent his son Jesus to embody that love, and rescue us all. I prayed that I would be marked by the love of Jesus because that’s what this whole year was really about. It was about Jesus making an impact on the world, and me deciding to walk alongside him and Holy Spirit for the rest of my days. It was about being immersed in other cultures and learning from them as my world lens grew wider and wider. I refuse to go back to my old life, for I have been transformed. I’ve been made new, and I’m confident that I will continue to be renewed no matter where I go or stay.
I prayed for about a month before Nicaragua about what to do when I got back home, job wise because I wanted to do something different than working back at a gym. The Lord kept telling me to wait and I didn’t know why, but I trusted in him. One night at the beginning of our month in Nicaragua, someone prayed over me that a door would be opened, and I would have the opportunity once again to take a leap and trust the Holy Spirit. At the time I didn’t put it together that the door the Lord would open would be team leading at the end of the month, which brings us back to the present moment where Greg asked me to pray.
After praying for a couple days, I went to email our squad mentor about the position, and it turned out she had already messaged me before about it. I then remembered the prayer spoken over me and I could help but laugh. “Here we go again Lord,” was the first thought I had to myself. I wanted to take this time to tell you all that I will be Alumni Team Leading for D-Squad this coming January 2018! I’m really excited to see what the Lord wants to do in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and I’m thankful that he does the impossible everyday. I will be gone from January to March, and I need to fundraise $2,750 this time around. You all have been AMAZING supporters, and I’m overjoyed to tell you that my journey on the field is not quite done yet. Donations are tax deductible, and every little bit counts. Please consider donating, and as always please continue to pray for myself, D-Squad, and the countries we will be going to. Love you all!
Love,
Alisha
