Just wanted to give you an update. I left Boston on Tuesday afternoon and so much has happened already! God has been showing up in big ways and I thought I'd tell you about them:
On my flight from Boston to Washington, DC on Tuesday, I was seated next to a young man. As is custom on flights, we were sharing about our lives, where we were going, etc. As I told him about the World Race, he started asking me a ton of questions about Christianity and Jesus and everything. He was agnostic, but knew there was something more to life. To make a long story short, by the end of the flight, he ended up praying with me to give his life to follow Jesus! The only awkward part was when the flight attendants interrupted our prayer to collect the trash. After we prayed, he opened his eyes and said that the whole world looked brighter, and how he could feel energy flowing through his body as we were praying. I told him that was Jesus filling him with his love, and l encouraged him to get involved in a local community of people who can help him grow in his walk with God. I can't believe that God used me to help bring someone to Christ…and I haven't even left the country yet!
Then, you know how it is when you get off a plane – your first priority is to find a restroom so you can empty your bladder. This was one of those times for me. But, as I bee-lined to the restroom I noticed a group of people all wearing red shirts with scripture on the back. I asked them if they were on a mission trip, and they said yes, they had just gotten back from ministering in an orphanage in Uganda. I shared a bit about the World Race and then they asked if they could pray for me. So, about twenty people all gathered around me, laid hands on me and prayed for me & my journey ahead…and I haven't even left the country yet!
The next few days have been spent in the Holiday Inn Dulles hotel, where we've been doing final preparations and training. There's a lot that it takes to get us equipped to serve in the nations.
On the night of the fourth of July, we were given the evening off so we could celebrate our country's independence. A group of us all traveled into town via city buses and watched the beautiful fireworks exploding in the distance over the National Mall. It was truly a sight to see.
But what I will never forget is what happened next – it was 10:25pm and we knew there was one last city bus which would take us out to our hotel. The city bus was about a quarter full when it arrived – but the problem was there were more than sixty of us World Racers as well as fifteen other people waiting for the bus. I remember standing in front of the bus and thinking, "There is no way we are all going to fit in there."
However, there was really no other way we could get home. So we decided to pray. I put my hands on the bus and said, "God, I'm believing you for a miracle here tonight. I know that you can do anything, and I pray that every single one of us will fit on this bus, in Jesus' name."
After we let the regular city-goers onto the bus, all the World Racers piled on. Luckily we already had all slept on a bus together overnight in Training Camp, so standing on a bus for about an hour wouldn't be so bad. As each person came on, our whole mass of people kept squeezing backwards, until there were no longer inches or even centimeters between our bodies. And one by one, each person walked onto the bus.
After what seemed like forever, I heard a cheering sound. Every single one of us had fit on the bus! There probably wouldn't have been room for even one other person. When we got off, we counted the number of people that fit on the bus – there were 104. That's physically impossible. And that's how you know it's Jesus. So, we witnessed a miracle on a city bus…and we haven't even left the country yet.
Seeing someone come to Christ on an airplane, receiving prayer in an airport, and a miracle on a city bus – I feel like this just a foretaste of what is to come for the next year.
In a few hours, I will board a flight to Dublin, Ireland. We'll then be taking a bus about two hours south to a small coastal town called Greystones. Our work in Ireland will be ministering to gypsies in a small community. Along with my team, Team Doulos, we'll be working with two other teams in this location – Team Alethia and Team Kingdom Come. I can't wait.
The next time I write, I will be on the other side of the world…to the nations I go!
