Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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  We are now over halfway through this crazy journey. I have already lived on 4 continents, attempted to speak 3 languages that are not my own, and seen animals in the wild I’d previously only seen at the Knoxville Zoo. I’ve planted corn in the jungle, mixed mud bricks with my feet, and hung out in Thai bars. I have cried my fair share of tears, made friends in countries around the world, experienced lots of tough spiritual warfare, and learned to rely on my Savior like never before. I’ve been pushed and stretched in more ways than I can count, and my eyes have been opened to so many things. And it is only month 7. It is wonderful, yet exhausting, living out of a backpack and having almost nothing (time, space, rights) to call your own. Although I’m not quite ready yet, home is starting to sound pretty good.

My teammate, Jeff, was called a foreigner the other day, and it took him a little off guard, even though it is undeniably true. We are not citizens of Kenya, nor of any country on this continent, for that matter. While here in Africa, just like everywhere else we go on this trip, we find a part of our identity in being Americans. I am extremely proud to be an American, although I have to say I’m not always proud to hear how we are perceived due to the media’s influence. As proud as I am of my heritage, this wandering nomad type of life I seem to be living has reminded me where my real citizenship lies. When I return to the US in a few months, it will be just another stop on a journey, on a race, that eventually leads me to my real homeland. My citizenship is in Heaven, not in any specific spot here on earth.
 
A song I have come to love is called “Tree” by Justin Rizzo. It says,
“I want to be unmovable, unshakable, so let my roots go down deep. Unmovable, unshakable, in You.”

 This is what I want. This trip has taught me that as much as I value roots and home and stability, it might not always look like how I imagine it looking. God doesn’t call us to plant firm roots in a place, a vocation, or even a country. He calls us to be firmly rooted in Him. He might give us the established earthly roots or He may not. If your foundation, your roots, are in Him, it doesn’t really matter. He is faithful, He provides, and He is a better home than any we’ll ever know.

This journey I’m on is not just for 11 months of my life. It extends far past that. This “race” I’m on is the same one it talks about in Hebrews: “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1b-2) This is a race that strives toward glory, that makes the sweat and exhaustion worth it, and ends in the indescribable Homeland we can’t wait to see. I pray that is where my roots are firmly planted.



“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” Ephesians 2:19