Friends and family,
This blog post is LONG overdue, and for that I apologize. For some of you, the last you’ve heard from me regarding the World Race is that I was planning to leave in January. I have to admit it is a lot harder than I thought to raise 18,000 dollars in such a short period of time. My trip was deferred to August 2018 and although I was devastated at first, I have since seen the Lord’s hand in post-poning it. My update is that I am currently living in Midwest City and looking for a job until I launch on the World Race in August.
This process has already grown me in several ways that I’d like to share. When applying for the World Race, I had a long list of questions filling up my thoughts. Is this really what God wants me to do next? Can I stand to be away from my friends and family and dog for almost a whole year? What if it’s not safe? What if I get sick? What if I don’t have the stamina to keep up? What if something happens to me or something happens back home? What about the important life events I would miss while being gone? Despite all of the questions swirling around in my head, I felt an indescribable tug on my heart that the Lord was calling me to go. He was asking what my willingness was to surrender the “what if’s,” the unanswered questions, the multitude of unknowns, as well as all the things my heart takes comfort in outside of Him. I had to decide if I was willing to let go in order to jump in on this adventure that I knew in my heart God was inviting me to. When I submitted my commitment to the race online, I felt peace sweep over me and a reassurance that I was stepping forward in obedience.
That was hurdle #1. I’d like to label hurdle #2 “validation from others.” I had no idea how much I required validation from others before now. Not just appreciated it, but required it. I want to be clear that I sought wise counsel from people I trust before making this decision and gained lots of helpful insight on both sides of the discussion; “go” or “don’t go.” However, I have come to realize there are two people whose validation means more to me than all the others combined. As much as it pains me that I still don’t have validation from those two people, I imagine myself in their shoes. If I was a parent, I know I wouldn’t like this idea either. With utmost respect and appreciation for concern, I have to trust the Lord.
Hurdle #3: Having to depend on others to help make this a reality is more outside of my comfort zone than taking cold bucket-showers outside. Asking for help is hard, but it is also very very humbling.
I believe God will make this happen and am going to rely on His strength to do everything I can to see it through.
I had such a fun time making and selling cake pops on Valentine’s Day for the world race. It was fun to go back to Stillwater and see so many friends while delivering them! If you purchased cake pops, THANK YOU! (I hope you didn’t eat them as quickly as I ate mine, haha)
Next up, I am placing a tshirt order!! If you have ordered a tshirt, THANK YOU! If you haven’t, there’s still time! I’ll be placing the order this week though, so let me know if you’d like one asap! They are 20 dollars and the brand is Canvas (the softest brand everrrr… best tshirts I own).
If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading! I’m going to be better about blog posts from now on! Remember whatever you’re facing this week, God is bigger!
