My flight is booked!! Not gonna lie, as much as I am Sooooolooking forward to seeing my girl (I mean really, really looking forward to it EEK!!), this love to be in control with my feet on the ground and preferably on a sandy beach momma is so not looking forward to the 15 hour flight from JFK to South Africa. It’s been causing me stress since I found out at launch that the Parent Vision Trip (PVT) would be in Swaziland, now called Eswatini. For those of you who aren’t aware, PVT is one week that is selected by Adventures in Missions (AIM) when parents can meet their racer in the field to minister and work alongside them. This will be my second PVT as I was honored to accompany Brooke’s sister Jen on hers to Nicaragua a couple years ago. What an amazing experience it was (and so much closer to fly…lol!) I’m sure in many ways this trip will be different; changed location, different ministry, new faces to minister alongside. But hopefully the underlying impact will be the same; a time to reflect, to be humbled, to simply give of time and talents to those in need. That my friends, is something we all need to experience so much more.
I’m not going to lie, there have been times that I have criticized the AIM program. My complaints have included too much money, why so long, if it truly is a “gap” year, what are you doing to help them know what to do when the “gap” is over? You see I’m a very driven, goal-oriented momma who has tried to instill those values into my girls. They need to have a plan, a purpose and keep their eye on the goal until the end. Seriously what can you hope to gain by taking a year off in your early 20’s!
But 44 years into my own very structured, planful, self-motivated life I’ve reached a place where I’m looking back and questioning what I’ve missed. And asking God, what’s next? Amidst all of the chaotic, stressful hustle of the corporate demands I’ve allowed to be placed upon myself, I find myself wondering, did I miss some calling, connection, or simply more love of life and others along the way? How many warm breezes, belly laughs, intimate moments did I let slip by me because I was too focused on the next step, the end game? Is there still time to bask in His kingdom before my earthly body is gone?
It’s during this time of self-reflection that I believe I understand the true meaning of AIM. If it gives these young adults an opportunity to be humbled by those less fortunate, to appreciate a smile even if it’s covered in dirt and lice, to connect with one another in a God-filled community that most of us will never experience, to speak life into those who have no hope and to simply experience the beauty that this world has to offer while reflecting on who they truly should be for God’s glory, that my friends is so so worth it.
Because although I still believe my girls should have a purpose, a plan, and the motivation to accomplish it. Before they start on that journey, I want them to be confident in who they are as a child of God. I want them to know that they are loved beyond belief. I want them to truly feel that whatever God calls them to do, I will be their loudest cheerleader. And I want them to know that there is so much more to life than following the status quo from a tiny little Midwestern town in Ohio.
And although I will board that plane with some human trepidation, the ride will be so much sweeter knowing my Brookie Jade is on the other side. I so miss you Brooke Selby and cannot wait to see your face!! Counting down the days…..
Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25
