As time before I head to Atlanta for launch is quickly shrinking, my knowledge about God and myself is rapidly growing.
I want to start off with a huge thank you to all of my supporters, friends and family. I wouldn’t be here without you and I am so grateful for all the support you’ve provided in various ways!
While I finally see an end to my ever-growing to-do list, I can’t help but think how humbling it was to get that list to where it is today. I needed to get a lot of things done, a lot of which I planned to take care of on my own. Something I’ve learned recently is how needy I am and how being needy just doesn’t sit well with me. I feel like a burden on people when I have to ask for help and a smidge (or maybe more than a smidge) of guilt when accepting the help. I am living a life that is striving for independence and self-sufficiency. While I wasn’t completely aware of this all along, I am now; I am living my life as if my goal is to live anti-community.
Well, isn’t it funny that not even God expects man to be completely self-sufficient? So why would I strive for a standard that not even my Creator holds me to? I mean, I can take us right back to the beginning in Genesis; God made man…and woman and called it good.
Well, right when I thought I had done everything I could to prevent the need for help, God wanted to teach me otherwise. I started running into little problems that I had no option but to ask for help in. I just want to say something; I love, love, LOVE to help others. When I hear the phrase, “giving is better than receiving”, I can’t agree more. I love that God has made me with a servant’s heart. On the flip side, I have a hard time receiving. So, when my family had to make some major sacrifices for me recently to go on the World Race, it broke me. Why would someone sacrifice so much…for me?
It wasn’t until I had an entire day of reflection that I realized; this is what God has for me, and I trust God. I trust that everything happens for a particular reason. I have no doubt in my mind that God is showing me the importance of community. In more ways than one, God continues to push the boundaries I’ve set. I have had to learn that receiving is also a part of giving. I am giving someone else the opportunity to bless me. It is still hard for me to accept all the help that I truly need but I’m more than grateful for a God that doesn’t expect me to walk through this alone. At the end of the day, this experience was a humbling way to grow in my ability to ask for help.
So…
Thank you to all of my friends that have housed me (and continue to house me) while I am in Illinois.
Thank you to everyone who has spent time with me over coffee, a meal out and about or just chilling at your house.
Thank you to my friends that geeked out and celebrated the finale of my favorite television show with me.
Thank you to my community group who is always praying and has supported me in more ways than I can count through this journey thus far.
Thank you for the various gifts along the way; you guys know me too well.
Thank you to the awesome Target Pharmacy team for working with my insurance and cranking out 11 months of meds.
Thank you to my friend, Kirstie, for some updated pictures before I left. I can’t wait for the “after” shoot when I return!
Thank you to my personal trainer, Brooke, who has helped to get me physically prepared for this journey.
Thank you to my awesome church, Trailhead, for supporting me in more ways than one.
Thank you to my awesome squad and team for the constant encouragement during the waiting period between training and launch–the daily devos have rocked!
Thank you to my lovely sister, Bailey (aka, “Bill”), for keeping my days lighthearted and funny; you help ease the stress that this process brings.
A huge and final thank you to my mom. She has sacrificed so so SO much to help make this trip possible at all. I have no idea where I’d be without her unconditional love and selfless decisions to give up her comfort to help me out.
Asking for help is hard, but I’ve been so blessed to be surrounded by people who are awesome and respond in love; thank you.
UPDATE: I cannot believe how close I am to leaving. It is so crazy! I sold my car on Monday and I’m learning what it’s like to have to really depend on others for help. I have cherished the time I’ve had with my family and I am so excited to head back to Illinois to see everyone there one last time before I go. I know the next week will fly so I am doing my best to live in the present and not anticipate what is next.
PRAYER: There are still a few people on my squad who are under the fundraising amount required to leave. Please join me in praying for them! If you feel led to give, please let me know and I will direct you in doing so! Please pray for the anxiety that comes with leaving and saying goodbye to friends and family.
GET INVOLVED: Something that I loved on my last mission trip and meant a lot to me was that my community group wrote me a bunch of encouraging letters before I left. So, if you’d like, join in on that! You can write me a letter with anything in it; memorable times we’ve shared, encouraging words or anything really! I’d love to hear from you no matter what you write.
Much love,
Brittany
