I’ve come to ID two objectives for my World Race (neither is
about me, really). The first is to
follow the path that God clears for us to share His kingdom. Every valley we walk through is just as
important as the mountain peaks because a lesson and a sweet story come from
each one. I have no clue why God
blindfolded me, lifted me onto this path and said, “Walk.” I don’t feel any more qualified than
anyone else out there, but it helps to read what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
12:18, “As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body
right where He wanted it.”
We don’t have to be the best preacher, speak tons of
different languages or have a perfect record of faith for God to use us effectively
for His glory. After all, He’s the
One who made us, so why would He withhold something that you need or give you
something that would keep you from living the way He intended for you to
live? Love is a beautiful thing
because it is spoken and lived universally and when it comes down to it… that’s
all we really need to serve Him.
The second objective I’ve realized God has given me (and the
rest of the racers) is to allow Him to build a powerful testimony in our lives
that can be used for His glory.
Each racer’s will be different and rightfully so because we’re each
going back to different lives when the plane pulls into that last terminal in
the United States.
What I’ve promised myself (and what I can promise all of
you) is that I will not take a picture that does not have a story behind
it. My main concern on the World
Race is to be a lover first, missionary second, friend third and tourist
last. I recognize that right now,
and for the next 10 months, God is giving me a testimony and it’s my
responsibility to let it happen in a way that will have the most impact to
others throughout the rest of my life.
Testimonies are made to be shared.
So a good testimony is a captivating story. I want my story of God’s kingdom to captivate the people I share
it with just as much as it has captivated me by living it. So with that, I promise to avoid being
just a tourist and snapping pictures that have no story behind them.
If you see a picture (especially with people in it), you can
bet that there is a tale to be told about it. For example:
This is Kevins. We first met him at Fond Blanc orphanage in the mountains. He was brought back to the city to receive medical care for a double eye infection he was struggling with. We didn’t know we would ever be reunited with him when he left but to our surprise, we saw him at the tent community’s school when team Crash was relocated back to Pastor Jean Claude’s house. We got to spend time with him every school day during their recess. Kevins’ new orphanage is close by and he quickly became my closest Haitian friend.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that we’re wearing matching bracelets. Call it cheesy, but I wanted to show him in a meaningful way that I cared about him. It took a translator to explain to him that I made them by hand from an old T-shirt and my giving one to him meant that I wasn’t going to forget about him and that I would continue to pray for him. Cheesy as it was, it still brought a huge smile to his face.
I intend to make this into somewhat of a tradition while I’m on the race. Each time I grow especially close with someone, whether a child, young person or full-grown adult, I hope to be able to leave them with one of these T-shirt bracelets that match the one they see me wearing. If it all goes to plan, each time they see/feel it on themselves, they’ll know they have a brother in Christ somewhere in the world who loves them and is praying for them.
We have one day left in Haiti before we drive back to the DR! My next post will likely be about our next ministry post. I hope those of you I haven’t talked to are doing awesome! I miss you guys and I take comfort in knowing you’re praying for team Crash and myself.
Thanks for reading!
