My time here at World Race launch in Atlanta has been very confusing. After a year of anticipation and preparation, I am here, ready to go, but I still don’t know how I feel. On Thursday night we had specific trainings for the point people, treasurers, and logistics. At the point person training we discussed our feelings about being at launch, leaving home, and how we feel about starting our gap year. During our meeting, someone described the heaviness in the air as mourning. We are mourning many aspects of our lives, saying goodbye to our families, comfort, and for many of us, the end of our school careers. Starting now, everything familiar is behind us, and we are beginning to have experiences outside of the bubble of our past.
As of now, the heaviness I was feeling earlier has subsided and in its place I am saying yes. I am not ready to go, but when will I ever be? I said yes to God when he showed me the World Race. I said yes to fundraising $15,000. I said yes to 10 day training camp in Georgia. I said yes to my team and squad. And now, I am saying yes to 9 months serving the Lord in anyway he calls. One way he has called me is to create.
Last night we had an all squad meeting where we prayed about what God has for us at his table, and we invited each other to live at his table starting now. After the meeting, our leaders handed us each key necklaces with a word that God has given them for us. The point of the keys is that we will pray and find meaning in that word for ourselves, and then eventually pray about who to give the necklace to. When I opened my envelope I was very confused. My key said “create,” and my first reaction was “God, do you even know me?” The girls around me had pretty, Christianese words like “bloom,” “hope,” and “grace,” and I had a “create.” I do not consider myself a creative, artistic person, or even someone with the ability to create beautiful things, but my friend Ana had words for me later that night.
Ana and I were sitting in her hotel room on her comfy bed, and Ana had just offered me the last piece of her room’s day old pizza. I’m already a starving racer, so I gladly ate that pepperoni pizza despite the cardboard taste, and I was in awe of Ana’s caring nature, and her willingness to share with me. We talked about spiritual gifts and read 1 Corinthians 12 together for an hour and a half, and all during our conversation Ana was giving me words from the Lord about my key, but it took me the whole hour and a half before I got it. My calling is to create an atmosphere in my team and squad that is positive and glorifying to God. Please pray for my key/word, and for the story as it unfolds!
Tomorrow we leave for Swaziland! It will be a long journey, but we are hoping to make it to our ministry by September 14! Pray for safety and positive attitudes as we will be traveling for 3 days without a bed and in very close proximity to each other.
