When I got home from my World Race, one of the questions I was asked a lot was “If you could go on the World Race again, would you?”
I guess I know my answer now because I am going on the World Race again!
Almost three years ago to the day, I packed my bag and got on a plane with my beloved D Squad and flew to the Dominican Republic, our first of eleven countries. I could have never dreamed of how much those eleven months would mean to me, and how much they would impact my life forever.
Now, here I am three years later, preparing to go on the Race again, this time as a squad leader.
This was not MY plan. Many of you probably know that I was planning on moving to Georgia the beginning of August. Beyond moving to Atlanta, I didn’t have much of a plan. I was asked all the time, “Oh you’re moving to Georgia?! What are you going to do there?” To which I would respond with “I have no idea. I’m going to find a job and find community and see what happens.”
I got a lot of very concerned looks from that response, but it didn’t matter. I can’t explain it; I had such a supernatural peace about it. I didn’t need to know any of the details because I knew God had all the details taken care of, and I knew that He would tell me when I needed to know. I was resting in His promise and I trusted He would come through.
About a month ago I received a message from one of my SQL’s from my Race telling me they were recruiting squad leaders for August routes, and that the Lord had highlighted me for him to ask. Had he asked me a month or two sooner, even a week or two before, my answer would have been a definite no. But God’s timing is too perfect.
Squad leading might seem like a random thing, but it is actually something that has been coming up since I got home from my Race. Back in June of 2015 at Project Searchlight, my SQL (the same one who messaged me a month ago) mentioned that I should squad lead. I’m sure my response was something along the lines of “No way!”
Just the other day, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a friend (and squad mate) while we were in our second semester of CGA in Guatemala. We sat on the bathroom counter that night for a long time talking about a number of things. Why the bathroom, I have no explanation for, but I remember sharing with her that night about how I couldn’t stop thinking about squad leading. It was constantly on my mind. But with that there was a lot of fear, doubt, and feelings of inadequacy just at the thought of squad leading. But beyond the fear, there was a sliver of hope, a faint whisper of “But maybe you can do it!”
Last May (2016) when I got home from Guatemala, I started praying about what was next. And then it came again. Squad leading. I talked to a few people about it and prayed a lot about it. While that sliver of hope was certainly growing, it didn’t quite set right with me. The timing seemed off. It was a nice thought, but the doors were not opening and I decided that it just wasn’t the right time. I honestly thought that was the end of it…jokes on me!
Fast forward to just a couple months ago, there it came again. Squad leading. But I was very committed to moving to Georgia so I didn’t even give it a second thought. I blamed it on the fact that I had been home for a year and I was just feeling restless, so I ignored it. Then came the completely out of the blue message from my SQL. I knew I needed to at least consider and pray about it, but remember I was planning to move to Georgia and the last thing I wanted to do was leave my friend hanging who I was going to be be living with.
But to that God basically responded, “It’s already taken care of.”
Turns out, my friend knows some ladies who happen to live in an apartment right across the street from where my friend will be working come August. There are currently three girls who live there, but one of them is moving out soon and they are needing another roommate. So she is moving in with them! How perfect is that?! AND. It gets even better! Their lease is up about the time I will be getting back from squad leading, which means we will still be able to be roomies, just 5 months later than planned. Only difference will be that Jacie will already know the best coffee shops! 🙂
Details. God is in the details, y’all!
I know you may be surprised by this change of plan, as am I, but I am convinced that God is not the least bit surprised by it. I believe this has been his plan all along, and he has been preparing my heart for such a time as this.
Soon I will be posting more about the why I said yes to squad leading and explain what that even means, but I first wanted to share this story with you and where I am coming from in this decision. It is such a testament of God’s faithfulness and I feel so loved and cared for by Him. I am so excited and honored that I get to be a part of this!
So instead of moving to Georgia on August 2nd, I will be flying to Georgia to begin training on July 28th, I will meet my squad on August 3rd, and a few days later I will be leaving with them for the first five months of their Race.
God is so good. Stay tuned!
