Race, Life, and What God is doing within me!

 

I feel like I haven’t posted in forever but life has been a whirlwind these past few months! I am going to update over what I have been up to, what has happened with my race, and how God has been working within my life. 

 

 

About three months ago I started to meet Up with people from my squad. The crazy thing is everyone I have met so far has been so amazing. Their stories and heart for people is at times overwhelmingly, but so beautiful!!! However, since I’ve met people the adventures have poured in. It started out by giving a huge tour of Knoxville to my friend Jose that lasted for about 12 hours. 

 

Then I headed over to N.C. a few days later where I met up with about 6 people from the Original October Route. That night Jose got the crazy idea to drive up to Indiana so we could surprise another world race friend Andrew. We didn’t tell him we were coming and prayed he would at least be home. At 6 am we then knocked on his door and he dropped everything to spend the day with us. That day I also met two other world race friends Micah and Hannah Mae! We explored a park, ate some Panda Express, and felt like old friends catching up. It has yet to feel like I’ve been meeting people for the first time. 

 

After the trip up to Indiana some of the squad stopped off at my house and we went white water rafting and cliff jumping throughout TN. Then three of us took off to Florida to meet three more people from our squad! Within Florida we hung out at the beach, we were given some free waffles, and had fun getting to know one another.

After Florida I took off to Virginia where I spent a week at a lake house with about 20 people from our squad. We got to hear each other’s testimonies, we laughed, we worshiped, we cried, some almost died, but overall we had an incredibly amazing week! It was so much fun! 

 

Then a group of 6 of us took off to Gatlinburg where we camped in the smokies for a week! I got to show them some of my favorite hikes, spend hours trying to light wet wood, and see the love of our neighbors around us at the campgrounds!

 

 When saying good bye I honestly I had no clue when I was actually going to see these new found friends again. I figured I wouldn’t see them until training camp. However I was so glad I was wrong! After a few days of being a part it was planned that Jose, Micah, and Andrew would come live at my house for about two weeks! Within that time we also had Abby and Ashton stay with us during that time! Also during the weekend of them staying here we took off to N.C. To spend some more quality time with our friends on our squad! 

 

After the two weeks I decided to pack up my life and become a Nomad, living in a tiny Ford Focus, staying in sketchy hotels and campgrounds with Jose, Micah, and Andrew! We started by driving up to Wisconsin making stops along the way in Indiana and Illinois to see family, another squad member, and some friends. In Wisconsin I did experience  the all amazing Kwik Trip, some amazing cheese, and I got to meet some pretty amazing people. 

 

From Wisconsin Micah and I flew to California while Andrew and Jose drove. We  lived with another Squad member Sarah for about a week and as of today we are taking off to drive about 100 hours in a car visiting more friends, national parks, and whatever we find out here. As of right now that is what my life has consisted of. 

 

The Monday I got back from camping the October route got an email giving us three different options of what we could choose to do:

 

Option 1: Start our Race as planned in October, but we would be here in the United States serving until international travel is allowed hopefully in January. 

Option 2: Defer your launch date until January 2021 and choose a different route.

Option 3: Defer your launch date until August 2021 and choose a different route.

After reading the email my heart broke a little bit because I knew the community we had been building was about to go in different directions. It however didn’t take me long to know God was calling me to the January Classic route.

 

Regardless how much my heart broke I had to stay faithful to the reason I signed up for the world race. It was to go serve in all these different countries in hopes for God to show me where and who he is calling me to be. To be so outside my comfort zone all I have is to rely on him so my relationship with him will flourish and become stronger than it ever has before. 

 

With that being said I will be leaving in January and your support would still mean the world to me. You can donate directly to my link, I also have PayPal, cashapp, and Venmo! 

 

 When first getting the email I was sooooo disappointed that this community was not going to be able to serve as a squad. However within that disappointment God has reveled so many things. 

 

I have learned even though we won’t be on the same world race squad in the end we are all still going to be serving the same team! I know the individuals were called to each route to impact the people they are going to meet and to grow so much within their relationship with God. Even though we aren’t together we are still united and there to support one another. I am excited to see where God takes the wonderful people I have met. 

God has taught me to be more open with this group of individuals and even though my heart hurt when I got the news I was so thankful that our paths crossed and we got to be so vulnerable with each other so fast because it has left life long friends and people I can call up at any time and know they will listen and hear what I have to say. That is something so beautiful and rare! 

 

I have also been learning how much I don’t have to rely on things and money. Also having my eyes opened to how much I did rely on those things when I didn’t even notice I did. I played the comparison game of well they rely on it way more than I do so I am fine. Which is such a dangerous game to be playing.  God has provided in the strangest ways for me from receiving random food, having people open their homes to sleep in,  to the financial support I have received for my trip already. I am living out of a suitcase, without a job, and growing and learning to give everything over to God and fully trust him. It has been one heck of the past couple months and I am so thankful for how much I’ve grown because of it! 

 

I am excited to share more of the lessons God is going to show me!