The Awakening

Awakening is this rare awesome thing that racers get to experience when a few squads are in the same country at the same time. It’s racer led, which means that everything that has to be planned is planned my the racers and not our leadership. The worship, hospitality, intersession, and storytelling (videos and photos for all three days), was all organized by the racers. We all were stepping into the empowerment stage of the race. Our leaders were participants in Awakening but also got to encourage us in what we were doing.  

 

Worship is just one of those things that really connects me to the Holy Spirit. To be under one roof with over 100 people my age worshiping our Father was something I hadn’t experienced before on the race. We were able to share story’s from our races and pour into one another. Our squad and R Squad were the most experienced ones at the Awakening so we had the chance to encourage the other two squads, 11n11 and semesters. We told testaments to how God used us to do crazy Holy Spirit led things and what they could look forward to in their coming months of the race. 

 

Hospitality was an area I felt God calling me to step into. Hospitality included making people feel seen and heard and most importantly loved. I stepped out of my comfort zone with sitting with my squad mates and chose to sit with people on other squads that looked like they needed a friend. It wasn’t easy stepping into boldness with people who spoke the same language as you. When they could totally turn you down on every question you ask. But God rewards the ones who step out and into what he is calling them to do. Thankfully nothing too horrible or awkward happened and I was able to love on people and hear their amazing stories how God has radically changed them already. 

 

Along with all of the scheduled things we did had a lot of free time to play soccer and basketball with the workers on the campus. That was probably one of the most fun times I’ve had just playing games. I learned Spanish as we played and joked around a lot. We had the chance to do a ropes course and walk across this old rusty contraption high above the group. I still did it and it was so so fun. Y’all the view was incredible. Hills of green and the midst of the clouds hovering the trees. Ugh I can’t explain how beautiful it is. 

 

Awakening was a chance for me to rest in the spirit. I had an amazing time telling stories, loving on people, and playing games with the workers. God moved and healed a lot of broken hearts and physical hurt as well. One thing I learned from this whole experience was to never put a cap on the Holy Spirit. Never limit what you thing the Spirit can to in your life. I would have never guess I would be playing soccer with locals in the middle of a jungle in Costa Rica. God’s got big things planned for your life. Keep saying yes!