actually, it’s just begun.
yes the “world race” is over but the race god has marked out for me? yeah, that’s just now beginning. I’m not even sure how to convey to you what happened these past 11 months. I don’t even know how to put it into words. I wish I could because I so badly want to share it all with you and I’m sure as the days go by i’ll be able to process more and eventually be able to share more but right now, there are just no real words I can say. what I can tell you is I was able to see jesus move in ways I didn’t even know were possible anymore. I saw physical healings, addictions broken, lives changed. I saw more poverty than I knew what to do with. I also saw more happiness than I could comprehend. it’s amazing what happens when you literally have nothing left, jesus becomes real in a whole new way, I believe.
these last 11 months have been incredible. incredibly difficult, incredibly challenging, incredibly beautiful. I don’t regret not a single day on the race. even in Thailand when I wasn’t sure who god was anymore, I would do those days all over again. there’s something really special about the world race. It gave me, someone who knew I was made for something radically different, the opportunity to put my thoughts into action. it gave me the chance to go serve others all over the world for a year. it gave me the chance to shed all my fears, chains and bondage and trade it in for freedom, dreams and love from the father. I surely am not the same girl who left the united states in January. I’ve been made new. jesus has sparked a fire in me.
I’m finally ready.
so now what? if my race isn’t over, then where do I go from here? well. 2016 is a year of preparation and “rest”. i’ll spend the next year plugging into a healthy, active, young church. god has given me visions of starting a fire here in St. Louis. I’m going to continue to put life into my words. I’m going to show everyone in my life everything that jesus has done in my heart the last 11 months. then, god willing, in January 2017 i’ll be moving to south Africa for a year to further my discipleship.
I’m so excited about the visions god has given me. it’s weird to think that I’m actually answering the call of becoming a full time missionary. but, that’s what these next few years are. answering that call by preparing my heart and mind to give my whole life to god. after getting a taste of it this past year, I know that from here on out, I don’t want to be doing anything other than serving god with my entire life in whatever capacity that looks like.
so to everyone that’s support me during the season of the world race- thank you. thank you for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. thank you for loving me so well. thank you for giving to me financially. (which by the way I still need $2,000 until I’m fully funded….if you want to donate again. lol) thank you for reminding me why i wanted to do this. thank you for giving me the space and freedom to leave for a year to follow god. thank you for supporting me no matter what. i simply could not have done this without you guys. without your love, support and prayers. it is by your selfless giving that i could go on the race and find my passions and in turn, find myself. i pray incredible blessings over each and every one of you and I’m thankful beyond words for everything you have done for me.
to my ever loving o squad family- we did it! holy crap, we did it. i can’t believe it’s all over now. guys, you have loved me so well this past year. you’ve pushed me further than i ever thought imaginable. you’ve given me hope that this isn’t all god has for us. you have been jesus to me time and time again. i love you guys. thank you for enduring this year with me. thank you for answering that call and abandoning it all to follow jesus, my last 11 months just wouldn’t have been the same without each of you. I’m so proud of us. it wasn’t always pretty and it wasn’t anything near perfect but we gave it our all and in the end, look at the beautiful mess we’ve made. our lives have been flipped upside down in the best way possible. let’s keep going. let’s not stop here. as we venture into this new season remember the power of our lord. our world race is over but, our ultimate race isn’t. o squad, you have forever locked into memories i’ll cherish for the rest of my life.
“we decided to go past the edge with god. one day soon, i pray you will too. and when you do i think you will find what we did…a bigger world and more reason to care for it. more forgotten, ruined and beautiful people than we ever imagined existed and more reason to hope in their redemption. a greater god and more reason to journey with him anywhere.”
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