When I first signed up for expedition, I definitely had this idea that every month would be spent “roughing it” – tents, bucket showers, squatty potties – basically living with zero comforts of the American life. However, this past month in Bangkok, Thailand, God showed us girls what it looks like to not only have our needs taken care of, but for Him to lather us in love and abundance.
We lived in an awesome house we lovingly named the Princess Castle (check out how we landed this place here!) and spent the month eating meals around the table together, pouring into ourselves, each other and those in the city.
Living in a house like this was awesome. If you know me well, you know that one of my favorite places in the world is my house in Birmingham, the Green House. God used this house to change my friends from just roommates to sisters living in real community. We called the house the Green House because it’s literally green (yeah yeah, creativity at it’s finest) but also because of how we were put in an environment that helped facilitate our growth. Like plants in a greenhouse, we were in a safe house that pushed us forward and protected us as we began to blossom. Leaving the Green House to come on the Race was one of the hardest goodbyes.
A lot of times, people’s response to me coming on the Race is some sort of awe – like I’m doing something truly radical and unheard of. I understand where a lot of people are coming from in that. I used to think that people who did stuff like this were crazy.
But God has really showed me that the way I am doing life here is not all that different than how we should be living at home. The way that we girls lived in the Princess Castle is the same way that me and my friends lived in the Green House.
While God can be experienced so many different ways, there are things that are consistent no matter where you are. Here’s some themes that God showed me about life with Him:
• having a personal relationship with the Father
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1.
Jesus came as the bridge for us to the Father, so that we could have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. I realized that for a long time, I’ve functioned like God the Father was still far off. I knew Jesus died for my sins but I had somewhat neglected the idea that He did that so I could embrace the Father’s love. I saw God the Father as holy and worth following, but not really Someone who actually cared about the details of my life, much less truly loved the details of Casey Cappa. This past month, I’ve seen that He doesn’t just want my submission, He doesn’t just want me to talk at Him, and He doesn’t just want to use me. He wants to love me. He created me to know His love, and He’s gone through great lengths to connect my heart to His. And this Love changes everything.
• embracing biblical community
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8.
Biblical community and living in discipleship has been a concept beautifully displayed for me through my church, friends and family back home. There is such beauty in recognizing the church as a diverse, gifted, and valuable body of people rather than a gathering of a likeminded group in a building. This month, 11 girls with different talents and backgrounds and thoughts and perspectives learned to come together in honesty, grace and love. It was humbling and challenging at times, but overall I saw that ultimately, being in community means being for each other, and it wasn’t hard to see that we are better together than on our own.
• living missionally wherever you are
Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38.
Basically, when we have a personal relationship with God and embrace what He’s doing in our lives with others, there should be a natural outpour of His love through you to the people you’re around. It doesn’t have to be some glamorized view of “missions” – it’s just doing life!
There’s a Jim Elliot quote that says, “Wherever you are, be all there.” The place we girls spent most of our time this month was the Princess Castle – with one of the biggest parts of our ministry this month was simply pouring into each other. Cooking dinner for each other, painting prostitutes nails, washing dishes, praying for each other, being a shoulder to cry on, helping make 90,000 bracelets, late night ice cream runs, teaching English together, whatever it was that we were doing – it was missional living. God showed up in big ways, healing our hearts and allowing us to open up in vulnerability. It was incredible, and an investment not only in the next few months on the Race, but for the rest of our lives.
Being with the girls for the month in Bangkok was amazing, and so many times took me back to memories of restful days front-porch sitting at the Green House. And God showed me that in the same way, that now, these people, on this race, at this time – it’s a new sort of greenhouse of growth, and it doesn’t have to be quite as hard or complicated as I try and make it out to be. Month 2, thanks for being the sweetest.
“If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.” C.S. Lewis.
All love,
Ace
