I am one week into my world race experience and already amazed at all that has happened. There have been several times where I have to just step back in amazement at all that God has done. I could hardly describe it all in one blog post but I will try my best.
I am addicted
I have head a lot of talk about community in my life, but this is it. There just something about a group of like-minded people giving up a year of their life to live together night-and-day as an expression of their love for God that fosters community. I am absolutely addicted to the lifestyle of community, encouraging each other all the time and serving each other. I love worship here. I don’t even fully understand what makes it so great, but I just love when we all join in and during instrument times in songs people will just shout out prayers or praise. It is like we are all going forward in worship together, if somebody starts crying many people go around to comfort and pray for them.
I grew up often being taught that how I’m doing with God is my business and it’s rude for another person to intrude call me on it. But here we are a part of a family and so people really care about how we are doing with God and will ask questions to get to the heart of how we are really feeling and to work through any of the problems that we have. If one person is hurting the whole body is hurting, I have never understand Ephesians 4 as well as I have now in this context.
I’m encouraged
Sometimes I just want to cry, I feel so loved and accepted. I can’t remember a time when I have felt so free, so accepted for exactly who I am. My team Joholo are some of the kindest, and friendly-hearted people in the world. Haha it really sounds like I’m exaggerating or I’m in some kind of honeymoon stage and don’t know them yet. But seriously, I love them, they have changed my life so much in the short time I have been with them.
The Ripple-Effect
So what does living in this crazy kind of loving atmosphere result in? Miracles, changed lives, happiness, worship, courage, faith and hope. I’ve already seen a lot of change in my own life but also in so many of the racers. Once we are in a safe-place where we can be ourselves, and grow from that point on.
Exciting times
All of the above that I wrote about is the most exciting thing. But also a lot has happened. I’m in Ireland right now, how cool is that? I’ve seen several castles, drank a Guinness, flew over nova scotia, been in the largest single-chamber library in the world, saw one of the oldest new testaments in the world, gotten really drunk in the Holy Spirit and filled with His joy, seen two people’s knees healed, got a gemstone thing from heaven and some silver dust on my hands, just about ate a manta-ray, and made some of the greatest friends ever.
If this is the first week, I can’t wait to see what’s next…
