When you sign up for the Race, they tell you that being flexible is one of the keys to success while on the Race – things will change, and you need to have a good attitude. “I can do that. Once we are on the Race, flexibility will be key,” I thought as I signed the waiver about good attitudes. Still, I missed a significant portion of the flexibility idea, which is that you exercise that flexibility while you are still on American soil. Or maybe what I didn’t fully comprehend is that the Race starts as soon as you begin the application process.
I received an email from my contact at Adventures in Missions. (Contact makes it sound more secretive and cool than it is, but she is awesome!). In the email, she first thanked us (my squad) for being flexible and having a good attitude. Here is a life tip: If someone says thank you for always being flexible, and you have no idea what she is talking about, you know something is about to change. She is buttering you up to do something you might not want to do. In this case what she wanted to tell us was not entirely bad, and I was happy to be flexible! After she had thanked us for our flexibility, she went on to inform us that Adventures In Missions had made changes to the countries to which we would be going! I will no longer be going to Moldova and Latvia. Instead, I will be going to Albania and Greece. They also changed the order of the countries. The new order is:
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Philippines
- Zimbabwe
- Zambia
- Malawi
- Ukraine
- Romania
- Albania
- Greece
They did not disclose the reason for the changes, but it could have been anything from filling a need in the new countries to safety issues in Moldova and Latvia. Whatever the reason, I am excited about the changes to our route.
The reason I am excited about this shift is not only that I have wanted to go to Greece, but also because God changed our route. For some reason, He wants us in those countries at those specific times. There is something He wants us to do there, and He is preparing those countries for us to come. Seeing God move is so exciting to me! It will be amazing to see what will happen.
Another thing that is super exciting is that next week, on August 10th, my 10-day training camp starts in Gainesville, Georgia. Meeting my squad and being assigned to my first 7-person ministry team will be one of the highlights. I will find out about what visas I need to apply for, and the culture and foods in each of the countries in which we will be. (I’ll probably even get to eat with my hands and chopsticks for some of the meals!) They will run us through a lot of potential scenarios – anything from one-on-one interactions to things we may face as a team.
From what I understand, it will be a very emotionally draining week as they attempt to expose any baggage you may be taking with you on the Race. It will be a hard week, but most participants love their time in training camp and come home eager to become God’s hands and feet. I covet your prayers and continued donations as I move through the next stages of this adventure! Including donations we mailed in yesterday, I am down to less than $5,000 to fund my trip fully! Thank you for your continued support!
In Christ,
Elise
