Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 ESV {but y’all need to read the Message version too}
So K Squad {my squad}, has been blessed with this really awesome opportunity. Not only do we get to travel to 11 countries over the span of 11 months sharing the word of God {wait, this is really happening!?}, we are partnering with Gray Media to document our journey. Tim and Maureen Gray are superstars with super hearts for The Lord and they really felt that this experience should be captured on film for the world to see.
At first I didn’t really think twice about doing this – like sign me up. I mean I always pictured my debut appearance on TV to be on the Amazing Race, buuuut you take what you can get. So yes, wham, bam, thank you ma’am, let’s do this. I’m all in.
Then, I get informed for additional training, Gray Media wanted us to come to headquarters for a 5 day workshop pre-Launch {Launch is basically the weekend before we leave America and it gives our families the opportunity to get a glimpse into what we are doing, as well as equips Squads for what we are about to embark on}. Hmm. Basically I have to go a week before all the other squads? Uh huh, that means go back to Georgia early and sleep in our tent for our last nights in the USofA. And not only are we coming early, we are thrown a curveball called…y’all are also gonna document your 11 month trip with equipment that you don’t know how to work and report back to us!
Enter brat Hannah. Um no thank you did I want to have to say my goodbyes early just to get “more training”. Which also meant I had to buckle down and actually pack my bag? And the bucket showers again? I’m prepared to rough it for the next 11 months but, um, what’s the need to have to do that while I’m still in America? And now I gotta worry about another {really expensive} bag when mine is already heavy enough? Reporting back to them sounds a lot like homework and hello, I graduated in May…
Like I said, I was bein a brat.
So Tuesday, dad drove me all the way to Gainesville. And y’all, this week has humbled me. God has placed His hand on my heart to assure me that, yes, I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Heaven forbid I had to come early, sacrifice my pillow back home to instead be pumped with squad prayers, basically get a crash course in film school, play with camera equipment, and become closer to my team.
So, as soon as I stopped bein negative and decided to embrace everything around me…I decided that this journey has already begun and the first person God has talked to and worked through has been me. It’s all about perspective and attitude, as I often preach but clearly don’t always believe myself. The fact that I am doing what I’m doing is nothing short of amazing. I have an experience that God has given to me at just the right time in my life. Traveling and God all in one? Reality check Han – this is something to sacrifice your pillow for. Gray Media has put in countless hours into making this dream become a reality and they are some of the coolest people I’ve met. Seriously.
Me and my ant bites are excited to head to a hotel today to live in luxury until we head to the airport {which we have yet to be told when we actually fly out but rumor has it between Sunday night and Tuesday mornin…} but you best believe that I will appreciate that shower and that disposable razor more than I would have if I had just gone straight to launch. God knows what He is doing and when you make the most of it, life is good. I honestly can’t wait to see how my world is gonna be rocked this year.
Oh and p.s. my route changed…
1 September: Guatemala
2 October: Nicaragua
3 November: Philippines
4 December: Vietnam
5 January: Cambodia
6 February: Thailand
7 March: Nepal
8 April: Botswana
9 May: Swaziland
10 June: Ukraine
11 July: Albania
