I have been at this World Race thing for about a week. So much has happened in such a short amount of time it is hard to explain: I went from Launch in Atlanta, GA, where the only thing I had to worry about was the humidity (which really wasn’t that bad considering I was inside the air conditioned building with running water), to now living in Lovech, Bulgaria, where I have to worry about where I am going to sleep, how I will communicate, what I am going to eat, if a stray dog is going to attack me, and so many other things that I honestly couldn’t list them even if I wanted to.
We arrived at our hostel in Sofia, Bulgaria at about 11:00pm on September 10th after spending 2 full days trying to get there. Travelling with 38+ people in a foreign country is no small task. But, we arrived safely, got our beds and within 5 seconds of my head hitting the pillow, I was out! My team and I spent the next day exploring the city and trying to find a place to stay in northern Bulgaria.
Our team has been given the glorious task of doing UH (unsung heroes) this month. This means our job is to build connections in a community/area for future teams to come and partner with. In other words, we get to be pioneers for AIM (Adventures in Missions) while out on the field. As amazing as that sounds on paper and as awesome I pictured this month being in my head, things did not seem to actually unfold the way I planned.
We left Sofia, Bulgaria a little before 6:00am, spent 5 hours on a train and finally arrived in a town of less than 20,000 people called Lovech. It was damp, cold, and misty and nobody seemed to speak English. Even all the signs are written in Bulgarian (which is a completely unfamiliar language and alphabet to my entire team). We were carrying our packs that seem to only get heavier over time, not lighter, and we had no plans as to where to stay or quite honestly how to get there.
As we stood at the train station trying to find someone to help us, panic began to set in. These were my thoughts…. “What are you doing here?? You are a team of 6 young American girls, with no place to stay, no way to communicate with the local people and no plan as to what to do next.”
So, what did we do?? We made a plan. We figured out how to get where we were going. We hiked for what felt like 20 miles (realistically it was probably closer to 2) found a hotel with a couple rooms available, got some food and decided to call it a day.
RELIEF!!!! Take a moment. Breathe. Relax. Peace.
But to be honest, it wasn’t there. I slept and I relaxed, but I did not have peace.
The next day another adventure began. We had a place already booked and we just needed to find it. This proved more difficult than anticipated, but after walking around, a few phone calls from neighbors and our host arriving early to be our tour guide, we found it! We arrived at this wonderful guest house with an angel of a host who speaks wonderful English. He offered us a place to put our bags until the rooms were ready. Gave us hot tea and coffee. Told us about the city and how to navigate it and even taught us a few phrases in Bulgarian.
RELIEF!!!! Take a moment. Breathe. Relax. Peace.
But to be honest, even in as my worries dissipated, I did not find peace.
Monday was here. We had a lot to do: people to contact, connections to build, ministries to meet. So, what did we do? We made a plan. We divided our list and started sending out email after email. We contacted anyone and everyone who may have a possible connection.
RELIEF!!!! We did our job. We can take a moment, we can breathe. Peace
But to be honest, I didn’t find peace after “doing our job.”
We still weren’t sure where we were going to stay long-term. We had no solid contacts/leads of future ministries. We were still trying to figure everything out. I was tired, hungry, in culture shock and honestly….just sick of it. If this was the world race, I didn’t want it! This was too hard and this was not that plan and picture I had signed up for in my head!
I was at the end of myself. I couldn’t do it anymore. So, what did I do??? I prayed.
PEACE! I FOUND IT!!!!!
I found peace only when I decided to come to the end of myself. Only when I decided that I could no longer do this in my own strength. It was when I ran to Jesus that I finally felt rested. It was when I ran to Jesus that I saw for the first time HIS plan!!!!
The next morning I woke up with no more of a plan than what I had the day before. I had no more understanding of the language. I still had no stable living condition. But what I did have was peace. What I did have was a great sense of anticipation. I knew that if we just took a moment to pray and press into what God was saying, to listen and to see what was unfolding before us that we would find what we were looking for. So, we prayed. We prayed as a team and we prayed as individuals.
And guess what…. Things happened! We met people who spoke English. We heard back from churches and ministries. We got creative in our ways to communicate. We learned our way around town. We began to see God move! All while maintaining peace and rest.
As I write this blog I am not exactly sure where I will be sleeping tomorrow. I am not exactly sure what I will be eating tomorrow. Nor am I exactly sure what I will be doing tomorrow. But, what I do know is this…..
I can choose to run to Jesus. I can choose to look to him. I can choose to give him my day and trust that He is a good father who is able to provide more than enough! I know that whatever worries or anxieties I have I can give them to him and instead he will give me rest and peace.
My prayer is that you will do the same. Choose Jesus over stress. Choose Jesus over worry. Choose Jesus over anxiety and trust that when you run to him he WILL give you peace!
“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.”
