When I signed up for the World Race, I knew that God was going to call me out of my comfort zone. I knew that He was going to stretch me, I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. But so far, honestly, I’ve been surprised at how easy and natural it has felt. It’s just been a new normal, and it’s been good. But I should know not to get too comfortable, because then God will do something about it, and that’s exactly what He did.
For these first two months, we’ve had alumni team leaders with us to help us navigate this new adventure, but their time with us is coming to an end and they are about to go back home, which means they are raising up new team leaders. So, our team leaders, squad leaders, and mentors all prayed about it and came together to ask who the Lord wanted to be the new leaders, and guess who they asked on my team…ME. Ha. Are you as surprised as I was? Maybe I should’ve seen that coming, but I truly wasn’t expecting that, and I’ll be honest, my first response was are you sure? But I believe that God is the one asking me to do it, not just my squad leaders and mentors, and so my answer was yes. It’s funny, because when things like this happen, I remember things that I’ve been praying for and realize that God is simply answering my prayers, just not in the ways I was expecting. While I am a little nervous to take on this new role, I typically prefer to be in background and go as unnoticed as possible, I am excited, because I am confident that if God is asking me to do it, then He has something good planned through it. But again, I am calling on all of my support back home. I know that I am not equipped for this on my own, but trust that the Lord will equip me and give me what I need. So would you please pray for me as I step into this new role? That I would seek God first, and lead simply by obeying Him. For wisdom and discernment to recognize the needs of my team and to continually point them to Christ, to know when to speak up and when to be silent, to lead with a servant heart, and for grace and unity amidst my team.
As I’ve been praying about being team leader, there have been a couple of verses that have kept popping up…First, Isaiah 43:18-21, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 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 I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.” Then Ezekiel 47:12, “And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” So, I am praying and trusting that through this next season, though it will be hard, that God will provide the water that I need to grow and develop strong roots, and to produce fruit that will further glorify Him.
On a separate note…I can’t believe we are already in March! We have one more week here in Keta, Ghana. We’ve been serving alongside of a missionary family here. We are on the coast, about a ten minute walk to the beach. Ministry this month is a little bit of everything…going to schools and sharing a devotion with the kids, preaching in local churches, playing with the kids on the beach, or construction. Once again, the people are beautiful inside and out, and a true joy to be around. And this month, most of them also speak English, so it has been a blessing to be able to hear their stories firsthand and to get to know them. God continues to work every day and I’m excited to see what else He’s got planned.
