The World Race. The most intimidating and scary choice I have ever made. Very honestly I was dreading it beforehand. Before ever leaving family, I had made up my mind that it was going to be the hardest, and probably worst, nine months of my life. I felt obligated to go, I felt like I needed to go, I felt like I should go. So I went. I drove away from my house that Friday morning, boarded that plane a few hours later, and 4 days after that I was on another plane out of the country.
BUT. Month 1. So good. Month 2. So good. Month 3. So good.
Let’s define ‘so good’: Blowing my mind, exceeding every single expectation, better than I possibly could have imagined, sweeter than I knew it could possibly be, in a way the best three months of my life.
Do. Not. Get. Me. Wrong. It is hard. It is challenging. It gets lonely. It IS exhausting. It is chaotic and crazy.
But all those things, those things I thought were negative, make it all the sweeter. Challenge is my new favorite thing. I have grown so much under the pressure and resistence that God is putting in my life. The chaos has taught me what true peace is. The loneliness has given me a new understanding of how steadfast the Lord is. Never leaving, never weak, never partial.
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we could ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, forever and ever, amen.
I memorized this verse sophomore year and had no idea it would be the anthem of my life 3 years later.
I wanted to share some of my ‘Ephesians 3:20’ moments, memories, friends, and truths.
The gals. I have been told my whole life that if you have 5 TRUE friends, that’s all you need. I looked around the other and night and counted to five. The girls I’m living with and doing life with have blessed my socks off. They make me laugh so hard I collapse. They bring out the best in me and challenge me to be even better. They are the most beautiful and strong women ever and they make life SO sweet. Unforgettable, irreplaceable, lifelong friends.
Ephesians 3:20
In Haiti, the first night we arrived, we were greeted by cheering, smiling faces, welcoming us into our new home for the month. These interns at Mission of Hope had prepared dinner for us (including cake. what. crazy.) and they helped us carry all our bags to our rooms. They quickly became one of the best and sweetest parts of my time in Haiti. To have people, my age, in such a similar season of life, constantly around to talk to, learn from, and become TRUE friends with was so unexpected and refreshing. God sent me exactly what I needed.
Ephesians 3:20
Cahiso. Our nieghbor, three doors down. She has four sweet kiddos that we quickly became friends with when we moved here. My friend Kara started bringing a children’s Bible over there everyday and reading them stories. One day their mom, Cahiso, was collecting firewood and we got up to help her. That started a four hour conversation, which then started a friendship. She is expecting a fifth boy any day now and so we have been going over to help ehr with odd jobs and tasks. She has told us so much about her life, her story, her family. The craziest part about our friendship with Cahiso is that it is so clearly arranged by the Lord. We recently were told that before she became pregnant she was very close to becoming a witch doctor, and is involved in a cult. This was such shocking new to me because she had told us that she believed in god. What we didn’t know is that her cult believes in god ‘and’ they participate in ancestral worship. Very twisted and sad, but my biggest prayer has been that our presence, our listening, our help to her would speak volumes about our faith and OUR GOD. I am praying for an Ephesians 3:20 miracle.
Christmas VBS! This week we got to put on a VBS for the kids in our village. It. Was. A. Party. We got to celebrate these kids that are so overlooked and unnoticed and we got to tell them that Jesus came for THEM. He wants them as they are, he loves their childlike spirits. He loves it when they laugh and play games and use their imagination. I truly felt like my team got to be the hands and feet of Jesus those 6 hours, and welcome, accept, and love those kids. It gave me more joy and fulfilment than I thought ever possible.
Ephesians 3:20.
This week God told me to celebrate people. He told me that that’s what I was made for. Something became very clear to me this week. A truth that has seriously changed the way I want to live and be seen and be known and know other people.
IF LOVING OTHERS INCLUDES CELEBRATING THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE, AND IF I SERVE AN IMPARTIAL GOD, THEN GOD, AND ALL THAT OBEYS HIS WILL, CELEBRATES ME WITH ALL EAGERNESS AND JOY. GOD THE FATHER, JESUS, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND ALL OF HEAVEN CELEBRATES ME.
This is the kind of love I want to love others with. I want to be the welcoming arms of Jesus that celebrates others. I want to celebrate the parts of God’s heart that I see in them. I want to throw a party for them like the party that has been thrown for me. When the father welcomed his lost son back into his home, he threw the biggest, best, most magnificent party ever. He CELEBRATED. This thought that God would give all he had, even HIS son, to be with me for the rest of my life is shocking. It’s life changing.
It’s Ephesians 3:20
There’s so much more I could tell you. There are so many little moments I couldn’t explain if i tried. But in short, this season that I thought would be so dry and challenging has turned out drastically different. It’s been the richest time of these moments that are better than I could have ever dreamed.
“Thanks God.”- what I want all my days begin with and end with. You should try it too.
