H O M E
I’m officially home in the states after 6 weeks on the field in Nicaragua and Costa Rica with Q Squad. But if home is where the heart is, then I’m torn… I left a major part of my heart with these 25 incredible individuals in Central America.
Q Squad in Costa Rica, right before I headed home.
When I prayed over this squad before their training camp in October, the Lord told me this would be a church, a tribe, marked by a culture of unity and honor. They would be hungry for deep intimacy with the Father, love for one another, and a fierce desire to go and make disciples.
Over the past 6 weeks, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing them discover their true identity in Christ, find healing from past wounds, build confidence in their ability to hear from the Lord, fight for unity within their squad, walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, and discover the power of prayer.
Q Squad praying over me after I shared my testimony in Nicaragua.
Over the past 6 weeks, The Lord has challenged me personally to not put Him in a box. Just because this is my 4th year with the World Race, doesn’t mean it has to look like it “always has.”
He can do more.
God cannot be confined
to the box we try to fit Him in.
As a leadership team, we felt a stirring; that feeling you get deep down when you know God is up to something. So we prayed. And we fasted. And we prayed some more.
Our Prayer Wall in Jaco, Costa Rica. Every circle is a prayer.
We prayed over this squad asking the Lord for His desires and for His direction. That’s when He told us: “team changes.”
Not 2 months from now when we “usually” do them.
Now.
And He spoke Isaiah 43:19 to our leadership team.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”
For a moment, I felt fear and doubt creep in, but God… what if…
“Do you trust me?” He interrupted my thought.
Of course I do!
“Then it’s time to step out of the boat.” (Matthew 14:28-33)
You see, God has proven faithful time and time again in my life. He has made a way for me when there didn’t seem to be a way. He made a way in the wilderness and provided streams of water in the desert.
So why am I afraid to step out of the boat, to take a step in faith, to trust that He will be there?
But then I heard Him say something back to me in that moment that cuts to the core of me and who I am and who God has called me to be.
I heard God say, “I trust you.”
He trusts me.
He trusts me to hear His voice and obey.
He trusts me to lead His people across 11 countries in 11 months.
He trusts me to make decisions for them.
He has given me this position of authority and influence for such a time as this.
He knows my heart’s desire is to lead this specific group of 25 young adults with wisdom and humility and to steward this honor well.
As I prayed over this decision and over each individual on this squad I was completely overcome by emotion.
This group is different.
I believe they will walk in greater emotional maturity and spiritual authority than I’ve ever seen before in a World Race Squad. They are doing and will do great things for the Kingdom!
“You can challenge them, they are ready and they can handle it. I can and will take them further. Your ceiling is their floor,” He spoke over them.
“If you don’t get out of the boat,
you’ll never walk on water.”
-Mark Batterson; Draw the Circle.
So I made the decision. Our leadership team stepped out of the boat, into the unknown, trusting the Lord would be there to catch us.
My on-field Leadership Team: Jon (Alumni Story Leader), Taylor, Amanda, and Carly (Alumni Squad Leaders)
This squad is amazing. They took the news in stride. There were many emotions as they came to terms with the idea of parting from their first teams, but in their debriefs they all said the same thing to us as their leaders:
“We trust you.”
They trust me. They trust the Lord. They seek His direction, they hear His voice and they obey.
They’ve already figured out the secret to living a life on fire for God: They say “Yes.”
When you say “Yes” to God, be ready to be used in mighty ways!
I’m so blessed by them and I know this is just the beginning of an incredible year.
Stay tuned…
Financial Update: I’m only $235 away from hitting my halfway goal of $6000 by the end of March!! Would you consider making a donation to help me get there? Any amount will have a profound impact on me and the ministry God has called me to in leading Q Squad around the world in 2019!
