July was a pretty crazy month for me! I began the month by ending month 9 in Ethiopia and traveling to Rwanda for month 10. Then I spent three days in Rwanda doing children’s ministry. At the end of those three days, I began my trek back to America. I was flying to Atlanta, GA for World Race Gap Year Training camp. I flew from Kigali, Rwanda to Amsterdam to New York to Atlanta. As most of you know, I’m squad leading for World Race Gap Year. At this training camp was where I was meeting my squad that I would be leading on the field. They were coming to train for the world race and I was there to help guide them through the training. I wouldn’t have been able to attend this training camp if it weren’t for God providing the $1500.00 I needed to buy the plane ticket!! It was so important for me to go, though, because my own training camp experience was such a transformative time for me. I wanted to be there for my squad as they walked through similar things.
When I landed in America, it felt both weird and exciting. I’d grown so used to being in different countries, so it was a funny feeling to be back in my home country, especially because I knew I’d only be there 15 days and then I was heading back to Rwanda. I went to a grocery store and actually got overwhelmed. America has such an excess of everything, that I guess I had grown used to living without the past several months.
The first three days of being in Georgia were just training for the leaders. Then the racers arrived for their ten days of training. Let me just say that I LOVE my Gap Year squad (they are called B-Squad). They are better than I could have ever hoped for. The biggest prayer I had for them leading up to meeting them is that they would have a very strong desire to know God more deeply. And let me tell you, then are SO hungry to grow and be changed for the better by the Lord! They can’t wait to spread the gospel around the world! I am so incredibly grateful to be blessed to lead a squad as special as B squad.
Training camp was absolutely incredible but I’m not going to lie, it was also really hard at times. I underestimated how tired I would be through all the traveling and then jumping straight into 2 weeks of training, sleeping in a tent, and stepping into a new role. I had gotten used to my life on the race with my P squad family. Jumping back to America, into a taste of the next season I will soon be stepping into almost felt like a culture shock.
Though I felt there were times I was being really stretched, I’m so grateful because the Lord taught me so much through those two weeks. He truly showed me the reality behind the verse:
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
-2 Corinthians 12:9
God showed me that even when I was feeling so tired and incapable, it was going to be okay because He had my back. I truly was not able to lean on my own strength because I felt like I didn’t have much left, so my only option was to lean on the Lord.
I think the Lord actually likes to get us to this point of feeling weak, so that He can show us how much better things are when we rely on Him instead of ourselves. He doesn’t want us to constantly try to take everything on ourselves. He didn’t design us like that. He designed us to do life with Him, which requires that we fully trust Him with everything.
Im so thankful for everything the Lord walks me through. It’s always ultimately for my good because I know I serve a GOOD Father. After training camp, I flew back to Rwanda for a week and then flew to Uganda with my squad.
I’m currently in Uganda which is my 11th and LAST country on the world race. This week is our very last week of ministry and then we travel to Jinja, Uganda for final debrief with the whole squad. I launch with B squad (the gap year squad I’m leading) in a little less than four weeks and I can’t wait to see what this next adventure brings- for my squad and for me! I’m so grateful to God for continuously sustaining me, growing me, and blessing me!
