Leaving Khayalethu was definitely not easy. The boys were very sad to see us leave, and I was as well. There was so much grace though. Even though I left with tears, I knew God was calling us to the next place. Durbin, SA for debrief, and the Gaborone, Botswana.
Debrief was so great. It was a time to rest, reconnect, and prepare. And now, after a day and a half of traveling, here we are. My team, 7 strong, is working with a small church. Throughout the week we do evangelism, going to the college, villages, malls, etc. and the weekends we help with church. Today, my teammate Jackie and I are helping in children’s ministry.
Time goes by so fast on the race. There is so much that happens that it is hard for me to process everything sometimes. It is a time to really press into the Lord, and keep asking Him questions, and asking Him to draw me close.
A lot of things come up in my heart. There is so much room and opportunity for growth, that sometimes it is easy to just sweep everything under a rug. Living life on the race, for the Lord, is a choice. Because it is so easy to go into shut down mode, or get it done, mode. I have found that life on the race, although in a different community, and culture, is still a daily choice to live life for the Lord, spending time in prayer and the Word.
Walking life daily, partnering with the Lord, serving Him with a joyful heart, all this is still a choice. On the race, it is impossible to “live off a spiritual high.” You have to live out of the overflow, and through God’s strength. Otherwise you will get burnt out, and be doing everything from your own strength. And yes, I am saying this out of recent experience.
I did not realize how much I lived life out of my own strength, rather than allowing God to be my strength.
Life on the race looks so different everyday. From cleaning, cooking, dancing, exercising, and fellowshpping with teammates, evangelism, working in children’s ministry, playing card games, leading worship (which I will be doing here by the way, so please pray for me in that.), to bungee jumping, going on safari’s, petting cheetahs, traveling on hot buses…life on the race, is so different in the day to day. But everyday there is an adventure.
Life on the race is so wonderful, and I love it. But everyday is a choice to press into the Lord and not my own strength. I would not be able to do it without all of your words of encouragement, my family, my team-7 Strong, and especially my Father in Heaven, who knows everything I need before I even ask.
Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. I wanted to give you a tast of my day to day life, and tell you that I am doing well. Keep praying for me, that as the Lord takes me through the process of the race, walking in grace and forgiveness, that I continue growing closer to Him. Thank you all so much.
Your prayers and words of encouragement mean so much to me.
