So Im guessing that you guys are curious:
“What have you been doing Carolyn? I haven’t really heard anything.” *shrug*
Well, I have some answers for you.
They are less glamorous than you might think – and even my writing will probably elevate or de-elevate your opinions of what I am doing – as writing often romanticizes things that are in reality hard and normal.
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The Official AIM World Race America Website Information HERE!
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**SORRY THIS MAY BE MORE LONG AND BORING THAN YOU WANT**
What are we doing?
We are in a van together and we have a tentative route through America that will change slightly as we pray about where God would have us go.
The tentative schedule was created in response to World Race Alumni reaching out and asking us to come stay with them, and do ministry with them or in their city.
There are two components to our trip:
1. Reaching out and being available to Alumni: to hear their stories, to encourage them, and just get to know them and if possible serve alongside them.
2. To pray and follow Gods prompting: to evangelize, stir up and encourage the body of Christ across America, and be His hands and feet wherever we go (that’s just a way of saying volunteer in and with His Love however and wherever we can).
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How has that looked?
We have been following the tentative schedule pretty straightforward so far in order to honor the Alumni that have reached out and that has been amazing!
We have skewed off that schedule a few times when our route schedule has had some gaps of days where we have no housing and other Alumni or Alumni parents have reached out and had us to their homes which has been a huge blessing!
Also members of our team have broken off and pursued Alumni “off” our route as they have been reached out to, or been prompted to in prayer.
That’s been super kewl to see the way that the Lord has provided and lead our team.
How has that been?
With one vehicle logistically its been sometimes crazy and unknown but God has always made a way through people being willing to take leaps of faith, through alumni being willing to give people rides, through public transportation, and even through ways I haven’t heard yet! (I haven’t heard all the stories yet!)
We left the homeless shelter where we lived with the homeless and kept the rules of the organization (not easy! We had to be up and out by 5am!) which was challenging but good and where we attended and even had the privilege to participate in leading bible studies and share our testimonies.
We did prayer walks and worship in the park and just walked around and spent time getting to hear peoples stories, getting to know them, and share the hope we have in our own lives.
Then we moved on from there to Black Mountain (NC) and were able to stay in this huge house with a community of people who live together and fellowship together. We helped them clean and pack a bunch of their church in preparation for their church move later this year. We also got to spend time hanging out and getting to know them and encourage them. (They spent a lot of time encouraging us too! It was so kewl!)
One night we got to spend an evening with one of the teammates churches where they fed us and heard a bit about us and prayed over us. I was super encouraged to encounter a group of believers who so fervently and faithfully poured into their church and love God.
After that we had a between day and got to stay with and visit another team members family who fed us and spent time worshipping with us and then packed us up with snacks for the road!
After that we drove to Aiken SC and spent some time with Hannah and Zach.
It was the first real break from schedule that we had – and we spent it finally meeting as a team and started trying to figure out some logistical team functions. We also had people running around meeting their old World Race team mates. I even got to drive to Greenville and see my teammate Taylor Ryals! It was so kewl to catch up with her and hear how she’s been doing. She encouraged me a lot by just being willing to hang out and talk.
A few of us also spent time doing a prayer walk and reaching out to people in a local park. I was super encouraged by my time there.
Hannah and Zach super blessed us by opening their small home to us and spending time talking with us and playing games in the evening.
At the end of our time there, we were able to be super blessed by them just sharing how God had brought us there to bring hope and life back into their home during a very discouraging time.
After that we drove to Fort Benning GA.
Sara, a military wife and World Race Alumni, invited us into her home and hooked us up with a church nearby that needed their church to be repainted.
We were able to help sand down paint that had never been done properly and had been peeling badly for years without them having the resources to fix it, and then to repaint the whole place properly.
I was seriously encouraged and impressed with the amount of work we were able to do as a team!
We also got to help sort a bunch of clothes for their clothing pantry and our team was even blessed with some needed coats!
On top of that we got to participate in a life group bible study that Sara and her husband Freddy have in their home. We got to share and hear peoples questions and be part of a discussion about God, how He works, and His desire and heart for us to partner with Him.
We got to pray over people for healing both physical and emotional and were also prayed over by the people there.
Sara super duper blessed us while we were there! She had been fundraising for a few months in order to feed us huge and delicious meals that we were not at all expecting!
Freddy her husband was deployed 2 days before we arrived and it was so kewl to just see her devotion to the Lord despite her missing him.
If you think of them, please pray for her as she misses him and pray for him as he completes Ranger certifications which are strenuous at best.
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After that we went down into Atlanta to visit Alumni there, hang out, hear their stories and pray for them – and got to stay with Old Greg and Mama Cook – my dear World Race Squad leaders parents house – where we were again super blessed with prayer and food and beds and snacks! Also they super blessed our van with a rack so we had more room in our seating arrangements!
Now we are in Florida with a dear lady who opened her house to us!
Her husband passed away 5 years ago and she is still grieving – so if you think of us, please pray for Mrs. K —. She super needs community and hope and direction for what God has for her! We believe God has more for her than she has for herself in her future and all she can do to participate in that.
We are going to spend this week building relationship with her, repairing fences at an alumni’s residence, and speaking to the youth in a school; as well as helping the teachers out however they would like to use us!
(My day accounts may have some details missing or mixed just a tad – but we did all of this and some more that would just take too much time to type right now! Its already 11:42pm and I had a long day – so … I just want to get the basics out to you, and if you have questions I PROMISE if you ask them in the comments I will respond!!!!)
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It has not been easy.
Everyday comes with discouragements of different kinds.
I could be tired and grumpy and someone could be annoyed. We could say things in tones that aren’t the most loving. One of us could claim self care and really just spend time being selfish or self centered.
There have been a few days when we had nothing and I was so tired I fell on my bed and did nothing but watch movies on my computer (just one day – but there will be another). I don’t know how to rest well – and when stressed want to isolate.
I don’t always “team” well, and I am stubborn about my opinions. I struggle to give people the benefit of the doubt and how to care for others on my team in the way that they best need to be loved. And I have to try really hard to care and push myself to make room for their needs.
And there are always lies. Lies that are easy to believe and push us into cycles of victim mentality…o poor me’s!
Please pray for us!
Tonight I was really discouraged.
I know I am not the only one.
But we are learning and coming to know each other better.
We are meeting together more often and just worshiping, or just sharing how we are really doing.
Each week that goes by I am so grateful for! Seriously.
And I am trying to look at each week for the gift that it is, and not trying to go forward with changes because of what we could have done better, but just, “this is a change I want to make.” no because-es.
I don’t want to chase being good or right.
I don’t want to chase what AIM wants from us.
I don’t want to chase what I think Alumni wants or other Christians think we should be doing.
I want to chase Christ.
Pray for us.
Our own shortcomings and the devil’s only a whisper away.
