DISCLAIMER: this blog post mentions throwing up, so don’t read it if you get super queasy easily!
God shows up in the weirdest ways. You’ll see what I mean. We got to sleep in today for the first time since I don’t know when. It was much needed. Let me tell you why.
Yesterday, we took a bus to get to Ukraine! It went pretty well! I got a lot of sleep and started re-reading the first Harry Potter book. Everything seemed to be just peachy. But then… duN dUn DUN!! We said our goodbyes to our squadmates. Our team and Team Vessel transferred to a smaller van. A small van with zero airflow on the bumpiest road in the world and a driver whose foot must have been duct taped to the gas pedal and held down with a rock. It wasn’t too bad. I eventually fell asleep. Next thing I know, Connor is running to the door of the van, screaming STOP THE BUS! I woke up and immediately started panicking. Was the van going to explode? Was someone breaking in? Were aliens abducting us?! I mean, you never know when you’re on the Race!! Anything could happen!
I felt something wet on my pants and in my panicked state, I looked down. Connor had thrown up all over my pants. And his seat. And the window. And Zac in the row next to him. We were all very surprised, to say the least. Anyway, his stomach eventually calmed down, everyone got cleaned up, and we continued on our way. The panic attack subsided and we kept bumping along the streets of Ukraine. We could hardly wait to get off that van. This is the first time I saw God show up that night. Together, my team and Team Vessel prayed for Connor and for the journey ahead. God showed me that there is unity and peace that comes from friends praying together. When we split up from Team Vessel, though, I got really scared about leaving them. Panic attacks are not fun. They feel like you suddenly have no control over anything in your body and mind. Your heart races, your breathing becomes uneven, and for me, I can hardly contain my tears. Once we arrived at our host family’s house, I locked myself in the bathroom and just let the tears spill out as I took a shower and prayed for ease. God showed up again and thankfully, I felt much better after that. It’s so good to have a God who I can just talk to about anything. He is so approachable.
Now, just wait. The story gets crazier. As we were sitting down to dinner, one of my teammates threw up. She got sick with the exact same thing Connor had gotten sick with. Seeing vomit doesn’t really disgust me or make me sick to my stomach, so I volunteered to clean up the mess. However, I panicked and cried again. The combination of the illnesses, the stressful travel day, missing home, and fear of anyone else getting sick totally overwhelmed me. But as I was wiping the floor, there God was! Again! He reminded me of my mom, who has cleaned up my own puke and taken care of me so many times. I felt so much thankfulness for her in that moment.
When we finally crawled into bed at 1:30am, I was praying so hard and asking people back home to pray. I was terrified. But sleep was SO great that night.
Now listen, I’m telling all of this gross, crazy story because I wanted to write about how God stuck his head in at the weirdest places, even if it was just for a moment. When I prayed, he answered. When I came to him in tears, he just listened. When we asked for protection, he kept us safe. When I was wringing out a soaked washcloth, he reminded me of my awesome, selfless mom who I love. It astounds me how God wants to be part of our lives just as much as we want him to be in ours. He is constantly popping in to remind us of how good he is and how much he loves us.
This is what God told me this morning about yesterday. They are truths about him and it’s how I’m going to end this blog. God is so good and I might even be thankful for being thrown up on. 😉
I love you.
I am with all of you.
Do not fear.
I am strong and willing and capable.
Do not be afraid.
I will take care of you.
And your teammates.
I love all of you with my whole heart.
Talk to you soon!
-Emm
