As some of you may know by now, I have officially switched from the July 2012 race to
January 2013 Route 1
I will be going to many of the same countries, but with a few differences that I am really excited about:
Kenya Costa Rica Thailand
Uganda Nicaragua Malaysia
Rwanda Honduras Cambodia
Nepal
India
Wow, alright, I just have to take a moment: it’s just so awesome to think that this time next year I will be in one of these countries… doing ministry! That is just SO AWESOME!!!!!!
So, this means I will be gone from January 2013 – November 2013.
WHY THE SWITCH?
Worried about Funds
I’ll be honest, at first, I felt rushed and especially worried that I would not be funded to participate on the World Race. But after a lot of praying, I felt God saying to me that
His will for this season of my life is to go on the World Race, but that He would let me choose which route I wanted to take, that He would provide for whichever one I choose.
Well for one, I’m not used to that. I’ve had the thought that God has His plan, and I all have to do is obey it, but He is actually giving me a choice in this. (I’ll let all of you “predestination v. free will” people figure that one out, but all I have to say is that God is just so cool that He is bigger than that and somehow works both into His amazing plan for our lives). Secondly, that pretty much took care of that worry because the God of the Universe told me that
He will provide for the ministry that He has called me to
(something that I knew from the beginning but that I was starting to worry about and doubt).
But, I should have known. After all, Jesus even said “Do not worry about your life…” (Matthew 6:25-34), and our God is known as Yahweh-yireh (literally “the One who was and is and is to come provides”)–how great is that!!!
And provide He has. As I write this, I am currently at 25% of total funds raised, not including pledged donations!
Fear of Man
Probably more so than worried about the funds is being worried about what other people would think. Even writing this blog post update, I officially switched routes a couple weeks ago, but I have had the hardest times figuring out how to tell people. I worried that people wouldn’t understand, that I would have to defend this from every different angle.
Would people think I’m not committed to ministry or the WR? If I switch, would people think I’m not trusting God enough to provide? If I don’t switch and I don’t make those financial deadlines, would people see me as a failure, as someone who thought I knew what God’s will for me was but since I didn’t happen I was obviously mistaken? …and the list of questions I would try to sort through would go on and on.
But ultimately I had to realize that I serve the living God, and that I cannot base how I serve Him on my fear of what others might say (that being said, also recognizing that we do live in fellowship with one another, that we do keep each other accountable and spur each other on to growth and maturity).
And so far you all have been so supportive and understanding. Thank you so much for all of your support and care! It has been such a blessing!
