Cambridge Dictionary: If you up the ante, you increase your demands or the risks in a situation in order to achieve a better result.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
So I got on a bus in Medellín, Colombia with A squad Tuesday morning at 10am, with the expectations to arrive in Baños, Ecuador around 1pm Thursday (aka 3 days of traveling by bus).
If you’ve even rode a bus in South America, especially Colombia and Ecuador, you know they are bouncy, there are a lot of curves, and the bus drivers drive with haste. Every time I’d try to make it to the bathroom in the back of the bus I would get motion sickness. You’re squeezed into a bathroom smaller than an airplane bathroom, the little distorted mirror is reflecting outside how fast you’re going, and if you can actually concentrate to pee, staying seated is about as easy as riding a bucking bronco. After this adventure I would return to my seat pretty nauseated from motion sickness and eventually my stomach would calm.
At 4:30is I stumbled down the isle to the back of the bus for my second rodeo, falling on teammates along the way. I returned to my seat with the typical nausea, but this time my stomach was not calming. About 30 minutes prior to this I made a rookie mistake. One that I should not have made as an alumni racer. I ate an Apple… peeling and all.
You may ask why is this an issue? Well when you’re not in the states for safety measures you are advised to wash thoroughly (maybe even with bleach) your fruits and vegetables, and even more so to peel fruits because of bacteria.
This was not nausea motion sickness anymore. But I had bitten the poisoned apple. But instead of falling into a deep sleep like Snow White (how lovely that would have been), my stomach began cramping and luckily we stopped the bus for a 30 minute break. Within that time I had gone to the restroom 4 times, and we had to get back on the bus. We still had 2 days of travel ahead, and I became very nauseated, cramping in my stomach, light headed and weak. It was no bueno! I turned data on hoping that I could talk with friends and family that all of a sudden I began missing more while being on a 3 day bus and being sick. (Enneagram plug: I was told after all of this that 4s on the enneagram get really nostalgic when sick and not feeling well, this is at-least true for me.)
It was not working the cramping was getting worse and I knew the bus driver could not stop every 30 minutes in this 22 hour bus ride.
‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:7
Some quick decisions were made after two stops of getting off the bus sick and light headed. The leadership team and I decided, regrettably, we were going to have to get off the bus. Adria (Jo), one of my lovely friends and Squad Leaders decided to exit the bus with me. Our bus driver was so kind to get us to a safe location and to people he knew, who actually offered us to stay in their house for the night, but actually ordered us a cab to a hotel.
On top of feeling awful I became nervous because after exiting the bus, getting to Ecuador was now going to be on our personal budget. I had no cash.
‘Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.
Exodus 7:17
Suze ran back on the bus and several individuals put together their leftover Colombian pesos to give me and Adria for a cab and hotel.
This was probably the most miserable I’ve felt since the flu and food poisoning in high school. But even then it’s a lot more endurable when you’re not on a South American bus. I was having sweats and chills and at times hysterically crying and just wanting to take a flight home rather than thinking about getting on a bus for the remainder to Ecuador (another 24 hours on bus).
Fast forwarding I was feeling a lot better by 5 pm on Wednesday. Adria had doctored me up with crackers, water, pedialite, antibiotics, and all the goods. Now my thoughts were would the medicine and prayers of people back home come through? Would it not cost $100,000 to get to Ecuador?
and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”
Exodus 10:2
It was crazy how everything went so smoothly and how everyone was willing to help. I’ve said it before but Colombians are so helpful and really look after not only their own, but foreigners. We had a cab driver who was messaging us all the next day to see how I was, hotel employees who let us stay after checkout, bus drivers and their helpers who gave us discounts and carried our bags to hurry us and get us to all the buses smoothly. So 30 hours later, 5 buses and 2 taxis later Adria and I finally made it to Baños, Ecuador, last night (Thursday) at 11 pm. I’ve never been more glad to see Ecuador or a shower.
So I’m sitting here this afternoon contemplating all of this, and then I get an email from G42 saying they’ve raised the tuition to $10,900, while still sitting her not fully funded for Team Leading in the World Race.
I haven’t even calculated how much I owe Adria for getting to Ecuador yet.
I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
Jeremiah 24:7
But I know this is what God is showing me. He’s allowing impossible situations to happen to flex his muscles. I just wrote about my purse being stolen with my passport, credit cards and everything and how the impossible happened and it was returned.
God is upping the ante with everything World Race Team Leading, G42, all of the situations that have seemed risky financially. But I know He’s going to come through.
I’ve been inspired by a very strong woman. I was told a story of a woman who was diagnosed with cancer, after going on a morning run, which she’s done several times, she tripped and broke a rib. While doing examinations the Doctors found she had stage 4 cancer. She has been so hopeful and trusting in the Lord for healing and has made a profound statement that I’ve begun holding on to.
She told Her daughter,
“The Lord wouldn’t have tripped me, if He wouldn’t heal me.”
That’s such radical faith!
I’ve been so inspired by so many women living radical lives for Jesus including Teresa McMillan, on staff at AIM who just did a 40 day water only fast, walking in faith believing the Lord would do things.
I want to live with radical faith like these women, and all the other saints of Hebrews 11. They are the cloud of witnesses that have seen God move, and because of their testimonies of God, I will run the race ahead with endurance (Hebrews 12).
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
Hebrews 11:1-2
I’m believing that I will be fully funded for Team Leading and G42, and YHWH wants to flex His muscles so that the World can see He is God. And this will be my testimony to how big God is.
Up the risk, up the faith!
