“You call me out upon the waters The great unknown where feet may fail And there I find You in the mystery In oceans deep My faith will stand
And I will call upon Your name And keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters Your sovereign hand Will be my guide Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me You’ve never failed and You won’t start now
So I will call upon Your name And keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours and You are mine
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Savior
I will call upon Your Name Keep my eyes above the waves My soul will rest in Your embrace I am Yours and You are mine”
– Oceans by Hillsong United
Picture this… I am standing arm in arm with 7 other missionaries under the Pulhapanzak Waterfall in San Buenaventura, Honduras with 140 feet of water pounding on my head. We had been walking through this waterfall arm in arm with our heads down as the winds and the water from the waterfall blasted our bodies. We were instructed to look down and breathe through the opening that was left as the water poured around our faces. The Honduran guide lead us fearlessly through the Pulhapanzak as he had most likely done hundreds of times. We had already reached the turnaround point and were heading back when our guide yelled “don’t move – I’ll come back and get you” and then in an instant he was gone. The wind and water raged as we stood there helpless in the midst of this massive waterfall. I thought it was scary zip lining over His beautiful creation… well little did I know what it would feel like to be stuck in it. As I stood there scared and completely lacking any control of the situation I began to sing this very song. After a few minutes the guide returned and guided us out of the falls. As we exited the falls I felt one of the largest rushes of adrenaline that I had ever felt. You see once the guide returned it only took us about 2 minutes to exit the waterfall. 2 minutes stood between the calm and the storm.
This was my first mission trip out of the country. Our purpose in Honduras was to spread God’s love to the orphans there – this was our off day. Later that evening as I reflected on the day we had and the adventures completed I began to laugh at the irony of it all. God taught me just as much on our off day as He did on the days where we were loving on the children of Honduras. The lessons God revealed to me in that waterfall were life changing!
You may be wondering why I am sharing “Oceans” and this story in my first blog post following my acceptance to the World Race. The reason is simple. When I was in the middle of the Pulhapanzak I had absolutely no control. I stood there afraid, not knowing what was coming next. It was there in that fear stricken moment that I had to give God all of the control and put my faith in Him and you know what? He got me out of that waterfall safe and sound. As I sit here thinking about what life is going to look like spending 11 months in 11 different countries ministering and sharing the Word of God with people I don’t know in cultures and environments unlike anything I have ever experienced I feel that same fear and lack of control. When I think about the daunting task of raising $17,017 by January 2017, finding sponsors for all of my gear by October and finding a sponsor to cover the cost of my vaccines I feel like I am right back under that waterfall trembling with the fear of the unknown. Here’s the kicker… in that waterfall I learned that it’s okay to be afraid because NO FEAR IS GREATER THAN MY GOD!!!
God has once again called me out upon the water into the great unknown where my feet quite possibly could fail – but my faith will stand! My God has ALL of the control! God has a plan far greater than anything I could possibly imagine for myself. He has set into motion this whole process and this whole experience. Will there be obstacles and challenges along the way? YES! I expect nothing less. I am blessed with the opportunity to travel to places that most people only dream of. But do not be mistaken – this will not be a vacation – this will not be an easy ride. I know that God is going to push me in ways I have never been pushed and grow me in ways I have yet to be stretched. I am standing in this daunting fundraising waterfall wondering where in the world this funding and support is going to come from with the faith that God will supply the means to continue to be His hands and feet and fulfill the purpose He has for me!
So welcome to my blog! I look forward to sharing my journey with you over the next 6 months leading up to my January launch date followed by 11 months out in the field. The love and support I have received already is overwhelming. Please be in prayer for me as I kick start my fundraising. Please pray that God will supply the means and connections to individuals needed to reach my goals. Specifically, to raise $5,000 by September 13th and to find sponsors to donate and/or cover the cost of my gear needed so that I will be ready for training camp in October.
Yours in Christ,
Kayce
