Sitting on the back of a moped weaving in and out of traffic of Chaingmai, Thailand, had to be one of the scariest things I have done on the race. Not only do they drive on the opposite side of the road in Thailand verses the USA; street signs and typical traffic laws that we are used to mean nothing. To top everything off my teammate was driving, who didn’t grow up driving in Asia and let’s just say took a few risks I would have never dared myself. The part I least enjoyed was letting someone else be in control. I had no control over how fast we were going, what turns we would take or how closely we followed the cars in front of us. I also couldn’t control the cars pulling out into the road, how many curves/bumps we went over, or people deciding to cross the street in front of us. God manifested my fears in this really physical way but He is showing me that I am not in control in many different ways.
I need to stop depending on myself and learn to trust others and most importantly trust God. The last couple of days of Thailand and the first week here in Cambodia have really tested my dependency on God and giving over control to Him. As many of you know my Dad had major open heart surgery at the beginning of March. When I said I was scared on the moped it was nothing compared to the fear I experienced/am experiencing with not knowing exactly what is going on at home. Not being able to go to the hospital myself to hear from the doctors, I must rely on broken text messages and trust that they are telling me everything I need to know. With being half way around the world and in a drastically different time zone (when I’m sleeping they are awake and when they are sleeping I’m awake) it’s hard to even communicate with my family when all I really want to do is hug them. I am learning to be dependent on God and trust that my prayers and the prayers of my teammates are reaching my family.
The last thing is the hardest for me to admit that I need help trusting that God will provide. I would love for me to be able to tell you I am fully funded but I can’t. I am a little over half way there and need to raise the rest soon or I won’t be able to finish the race set out for me and will have to go home early. I know that I have grown so much in the past two and a half months but I know there is more out there. God is not done showing me to be fully dependent on Him. He is using the race and those I encounter to challenge me and strengthen my beliefs. If my story captures your heart in some way, I would love for you to join me on this journey. There are several ways you can do that:
Share. Helping me share my message is one of the most meaningful ways you can show your support. If something I write resonates with you, I encourage you to pass it along. I would be honored if you would share my story.
Prayer. I recognize there is no way I can do this alone. I am dependent on God working in me, through me, and around me. This journey will be stretching and challenging in many ways I can’t anticipate, but I know the prayers going before me will make a way.
Financial. Of course, a large part of my need is, very practical. I would be honored to have you join me on this journey. You can give online by visiting my Support page at Jenniferbrandt.theworldrace.orgCheck donations can also be mailed in to P.O. Box 742570, Atlanta GA 30374-2570 made out to “Adventures in Missions” with Jennifer Brandt in the memo field
