I never thought The World Race would look like this. I never expected to have to deal with so many things I didn’t even know I had a lack of patience in. When I was told about the World Race, my expectations and perception of what it ought to be and how it should be started shaping. At training camp, they told us not to have expectations. They told us everyone’s Race is different. And the Race is what “you” make it. Well, how they were so right. How I wish I could say I didn’t have any expectations.
Our Race route has changed so much since its original order. It started out being- Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan. Oh has it changed… This is now our current route- Albania, Serbia/Bulgaria, Romania, India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Swaziland, and South Africa.
Going into month 8, we were supposed to go to Laos after finishing up month 7 in Cambodia. I was ready to leave for our next country. But guess what? I didn’t get to go to Laos. We were told we were going to be staying ANOTHER month in Cambodia. I was so mad. I kept telling myself I signed up for 11 different countries in 11 months, not 10 countries in 11 months. I was so upset with our logistics, I was upset with our squad leaders, I was upset with God. I reached a point where changes started to get to me. I was already previously upset to hear we weren’t going to our original countries, but this was almost like the last straw. So going into our 8th month of ministry with a new contact was difficult to me. I arrived frustrated and upset and not wanting to be there. I started tuning God out. I even wrote in my journal telling God I was tuning Him out for some time. On top of that, I was paired together with another all girls team. Which all 15 girls slept in the same room, with no AC and one very tiny ceiling fan which barely gave us a drift of air. Also to add to it, we had no Wi-Fi anywhere in sight. In my mind things just kept getting worse and worse. Not that I depend on Wi-Fi but it’s nice to have it on your days off just to get into your little bubble of introvert time.
The moment I arrived I felt and knew God was speaking to me. I frankly was too tired to listen so as I mentioned I tuned Him out. I started getting familiar with the staff and the young boys who lived there. Their love and joy was so contagious. I found myself quickly falling in love with this ministry. Our ministry contact, Vuthy, was so much like my older brother who would just tease and pick on you constantly. I felt like I was at home. God continued to speak to me and tug at my heart, so I started to listen. That’s when God told me “I am bringing you back here to Cambodia as a missionary”. Of course, doubting what I heard and felt the need to put Him to the test of making sure I was hearing correctly. I brought it to my team to pray about it and see what the Lord was telling them. All of them came back with a “Yes”. That still was not enough for me. I had to exactly KNOW that’s what He was telling me. So I kept looking for confirmation. Almost two weeks have past and I was still unsure about what I was feeling so strongly. I can just image God shaking His head with His hand on His forehead at this point. How stubborn we humans can be. Out of those two weeks I have not had a goodnights sleep, I was sick coughing my lungs out and fighting just to sleep. After praying over our room with our teams, I had the best night’s sleep I had in a long while. I am normally not a person who dreams at all at night, at least not dreams I wake up remembering I had. That night while getting the best sleep, God gifted me with a very vivid dream confirming God was bringing me back here! I get it now God, I am coming back to Cambodia!
He hasn’t told me when and for how long yet. He told me when I have priorities straight back home, then He will send me. And I will be anxiously waiting for that call, which I will respond back “OK! Let’s go GOD!” To think back and see how upset I was and how I tuned Him out. If I had not been made to stay another month in Cambodia, then I would have missed that opportunity of God calling me back. He taught me so much just within that month on trusting Him, even though things did not go my way. He had a plan and wanted me there. I just couldn’t see it because I was stubborn and wanted things to go my way and go to the places I wanted to go, and let my expectations dictate the course I thought I should be going in.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than your ways, And my thoughts than you thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8, 9
How that scripture is so true. God has been breaking me of a lot of things while being on the Race. Breaking me of habits and thought patterns I didn’t even realized I carried. Through every single month, God teaches me something new. It’s not always the most comfortable or enjoyable learning experience but sometimes rough trails can be some of the best growing stepping stones for our walk with God.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the ministry I did in Cambodia, and probably what I will be doing when I return.
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Quick financial update: I am 70% funded! Thank you so much for all that have supported me! I’m so excited as I get closer and closer to being fully funded! I need only $4,660 left to to be able to stay the complete 11 months! I have been given a lot of grace in order to stay on the World Race but now I really need some fighters who are willing to fight for me to stay on the field. I have been contacted by AIM and was told I need to be funded within the next couple of weeks before they will have to make the decision to send me home. That is the last thing they want to do but will have no option due to not being able to financially support me. God is moving and I love being his hands and feet in these places He has called me to! Thank you to all of you who have already invested in and have made this mission possible. All of you who feel led to give click on the “SUPPORT ME TAB” on the left side of my blog screen! All donations are tax deductible. Thank you all so much! Only two and a half months left before I return back to the states!
