This very time last year I was packing my bags (oh my word the stress), checking my list (and rechecking again and again and again lol), saying goodbye to friends and family, anxious, excited, and stepping out into so many unknowns with 11 months laid out before me.
11 months have now come and gone. I’ve been back in the states a month now but I’ve packed my bags again, not nearly as stressed, for a new season. I will be adventuring again for three months to three brand new countries but knowing a little more what to expect this time around.
But y’all, there is so much I don’t know and so many unknowns as I step into this new role of leadership and walking along side a brand new set of racers on their own World Race journey. I’ve been in Gainesville, Georgia, now for a week back at the Adventures in Missions base in leadership training. It’s been surreal being back at the same location where this whole journey started and thinking about training camp and getting a little nostalgic. Being back here has me getting more and more stoked as we head to Atlanta tomorrow for the beginning of launch and officially fly out on October 7th to Lima, Peru.
As we’ve been sitting in training and being filled with all that we need to go out and lead effectively, I’m realizing more and more what a blessing it is to now be on the other side. You see, I just spent the last year participating in my own race and on my own personal journey with the Lord. Now, I have the unique perspective to go back out on the field, this isn’t my race, but now I’m in a position of coming along side 5 amazing women on my team to disciple. The whole point of discipleship is to wake people up to their identity and role in God’s kingdom. So my biggest goal these next months is to create that safe environment they need and come along side them as an alumni and sister in Christ and do everything in my power as a leader to connect them with God and show to how to live a kingdom life and to raise up a new team leader within my team and then go home knowing that I’ve done my job and set them up well.
Ahhhhh, I’m pumped!!!!!
To give you a little update on my month home back in the states. Oh it flew, I knew it would but dang I just blinked and it was over….story of my life this past year. It was so great spending time with friends and family in Florida and Tennessee. It was a weird transitional month. Knowing that I was going back out it just felt like I was in another country for month #12 lol, before I head off to Peru. I was initially freaked out by the fast turn around between when I got back from the race and going back out again, but it’s honestly probably the best thing for me. It keeps the momentum going. Towards the end of the month I was actually missing life on the field as much as I enjoyed my month home. It will be nice to get a taste of it again for a little bit before I fully transition back to life in the states.
Emotionally I feel like I did really well during this past month being home. I fully expected myself to be curled up in a fetal position crying for days, ha, and it hasn’t been like that at all. I’ve tasted and seen what’s good and I’ve tasted and seen what’s hard and honestly I’m just truly grateful for it all as I have come back and with different eyes in which to see my world through. I thought there was something wrong because I wasn’t feeling all the things I expected to be feeling being back home and maybe a lot of that will come when I’m back from this trip. I don’t know. I’ve allowed myself to feel when I need to feel and took each day as it came. Seems like a good place to be, don’t you think??
So here we go, onward to what the Lord has next. I really felt the Lord telling me a couple of days ago to not do anything more with my fundraising, to just sit back and watch him provide the rest for this trip. I am currently 63% funded. I realized I was reaching a point that I was trying to do it in my own strength. Would you pray for me, because this is really hard for me lol. So I’m just going to trust and believe that in his supernatural way my funds will be provided. Also, please pray God would give me a divine vision/direction and word for this team. Wisdom and discernment to know what they need and grace for myself in the process. I know I’m going to learn so much from them but recognizing that they have so much to learn from me.
i will continue blogging, so an update from Peru coming to you SOON!! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement!
Much love to you ALL!!!
