Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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I think so often we are focused on what is coming in the future, what the next obstacle or goal is, that we completely miss what is right in front of us. 

 

Last week was a challenging week for me. Our team, Unveiled Pursuit, had just switched ministries for the 3rd time this month and were settling in to life in Chisinau, Moldova working with Campus Crusade and University/high school students. I think because we had moved around so much already my mind and my heart just wanted to stay disconnected from the upcoming ministry. I was feelingemotionally drained from all the relationship building we had already done and had yet to do; as strange as that sounds coming from an extrovert like me. 

Since we left Romania almost 4 weeks ago we have been to 4 different churches, met 70 people (tried to) at the first English Club in Transnistria, hung out with 20 youth at Christ Saviour Church, met 2 sets of 

Campus Crusade staff and for the last week have been building relationships with 100 or more students who come to English Club here in Chisinau.

My good intentions are there. I want to learn about these people and about more than just their names. I want to know their hearts; pour into their lives and learn about their struggles and dreams.


But it’s overwhelming – especially when we just had to leave the last group of students we were finally getting to know.

Anyways, I think because of what I was going through emotionally my mind wanted to shut down and escape from this environment. So I started thinking about home a lot and imagining what life will be like when I arrive back in Canada in December. This might seem normal to some after being gone for 4 months but I had actually been pretty good about not concerning myself with that and just experiencing what the World Race and these last 4 countries have had for me – so thinking about home was a change from the norm.
 

But I became really distracted.  One thought led to another and here I was thinking about where I will live, what I’ll do for work, what will have changed, etc. Not in the sense that I was worrying about it at all, just that I was thinking about it and considering all sorts of scenarios; scenarios that I clearly couldn’t predetermine or control at this point.
 
It became kind of a sense of excitement that was fast forwarded 7 months when my excitement needed to be here and now. I doubted that I could truly be changed throughout the rest of my time on the Race.
 

Silly me. We ended up worshipping and praying in the park later in the week and I got the sense that God was trying to speak to me. In the bush I saw some branches that looked like a butterfly and felt like God was asking me:

 

“Don’t you want what I have for you here? Aren’t you excited about all this (around you) and what I have in store? Because you should be – you’re going to be changed.”

It was as though He was telling me I’m inside a cocoon and I still need to be here for a season. I might not see the change in myself already and I might not see the change that is about to happen but I am being transformed into something more beautiful. Each day, week and month God is teaching me something new that will help me fly – and if I don’t take that time to grow and focus on where He has me currently then I will not develop to my full potential.

It was a good reminder to have faith in His power, in the huge plans he has for each country and, in turn, I must have faith in my own ability to change and let my experiences change me.
 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"  – Romans 12:2