*Disclaimer* This blog does not have a lot of pictures. There will be TONS in the blogs to follow. Keep tuned if you’re a picture person, but the following text is an account of some awesome things!
If you think Jesus was just a man who lived in ye olde Bible times, you couldn’t be more wrong. He is so present in my life, it amazes me. And since Christ is still alive, He is still actively working with me and through me. I know I am going to see that more clearly this year as I am trying to maintain more focus on Him and to be more observant as to how He is moving.
I began to see it happen even before the race. Some of you know that I had a garage sale to raise money for the race before I left. There was a specific moment where a man began to talk to me about human trafficking, and as we were in conversation, he asked if he could have an item that was not for sale. It was an item that was quite dear to me, but he was so interested in learning about my mission that I told him I could add it to his lot. He put it in a pillowcase without even paying for it. At that moment, everything in my being wanted to take it from his hands and yell, “MINE!” The Lord placed it on my heart that my ministry began then, in that moment, in that yard sale. I don’t have to travel half way around the world to love people and allow them to encounter Jesus. I can just as well do it in my house in Williamsburg, VA. I just felt Him telling me to not worry about the money; He would take care of it. I raised over $700 in that garage sale, and I have no idea how! It was definitely a loaves and fishes moment in my life; Not a lot of people showed up, not a lot of people purchased items, and since I didn’t set any prices, most items were sold for next to nothing. Did I mention I held it on a Sunday? God is sooo amazing!!! Thank you, by the way to all my friends who showed up to support me in that, and thank you to Nancy for baking me delicious ginger cookies!
A few weeks later, I went to film a short film in Richmond. The makeup designer told me she had a headache while she was putting on my makeup. I didn’t think anything of it, but asked her how she was doing later and she informed me it was getting worse and probably because of caffeine withdraw. We were waiting for a shot upstairs, and I looked over at her, obviously in pain, with her head in her hands. I don’t know why it hadn’t come to me before, but I was so moved to pray for healing. My feet wouldn’t move though. I was afraid, afraid that in that environment I would be judged for laying hands on her for healing, and that she herself would judge me. I also knew that healing prayer doesn’t require open prayer or the laying of hands to work… so I prayed. When we started eating, I inquired as to how she was feeling and her eyes got wide. She said it must have been a headache from not eating, because she’d not had any caffeine and it was completely gone, but that she’d only just taken two bites, so she didn’t know how it would have worked so quickly. I give all the glory to the Lord for healing her.
So, this is a small glimpse into what my life will be this year. It will be Christ working through me and my life due to intercession, prayer, and simply His greatness. He’s used me numerous times without me doing a thing at all. I am privileged to be able to focus on Him so readily this year, and loving others as a response to being loved first. I hope living in the practice of this will continue even beyond the race, but now, I hope He is glorified through me in the here and now.
So, I told you there wouldn't be a picture, but I will leave you with what our first travel day looked like for the World Race. Nothing quite like sleeping in the airport. I feel like this will be a familiar scene over the next 11 months.
