2016 was one incredible year.
I finished out the last 5 months of my world race journey, traveling to 5 very different countries and savoring each moment along the way. My soul became more and more alive as my eyes were opened to the pain of the world and the endless amount of opportunities given to utilize my skills, giftings and passions to make a difference any where I could. I learned more life lessons in this amount of time than I thought was humanly possible.
Following my incredible 11 months on the race, I went home with a plan, to discover that God actually had something entirely different in mind. For the first time ever, I surrendered my desires to him and trusted that what he had for me, would actually be better.
And it was.
I’ve now lead 50 people through 5 different countries over the last 5 months. People who deeply love Jesus, who desire to make the world a better place and want to grow more and more to be like him, no matter what that “yes” may look like.
As glamorous as it may have looked at times, it was anything but easy. It was exhausting and self sacrificing. It was full of tears, hard conversations, heartbreaking circumstances and uncomfortable living situations. I moved to a different team and location every week. Which meant packing everything I owned back up into my pack right as I established a routine and got comfortable where I was. Rest days were far and few between – mostly because I have an inability to think I actually need them, and in part because 2 leaders to 50 people doesn’t leave a lot of room for it. The idea of doing anything on my own or going anywhere alone continuously lead me to question whether I am in fact an extrovert. My body became anything but healthy and is more than ready to trade in rice and carbs for a gym and a green smoothie.
With that being said, the reality and challenges of this season are incomparable to the beauty and transformation these 5 months have brought to my life. The love I have in my heart for my co-leader Courtney and my squad is an unexpected blessing. They are family. The gratitude I feel for the life lessons I have learned and wisdom I’ve gained along the way, is irreplaceable. The passion I have cultivated in walking alongside 50 people, deeply pursuing Jesus and making his glory known to some of the poorest areas in the world, continues to make my heart yearn for more. And the process of growth and refinement to be the woman God created me to be, is at an all time high.
This year was one of the best years of my life and as it comes to an end, so closes the chapter of this current season! My position with Adventures in Missions is coming to an end. My time out on the field, traveling the world as a missionary and living out of a backpack is finished for now. This lifestyle I’ve lived for quite some time, is shifting to something different.
I can’t say confidently that I know what’s coming next. But I can tell you that if I’ve learned anything throughout this journey, it’s that fully trusting God with my future, outweighs any amount of clarity I may hope for. He knows the desires of my heart. He doesn’t operate in contentment or a belief that this is as good as it’s going to get. His plans for our lives are far better than anything we could ever dream up. And that’s the beauty of it. He stands at the edge of the cliff alongside me, holding my hand, peering out into the sea of opportunity, grinning as we anxiously anticipate our jump into the next chapter of the book he already has written.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one!
Cheers to coming home.
Cheers to the end of a beautiful year of life and the beginning of something even better!
2017…. Here we go!
