It is my last day on the World Race. This is my last blog from the field. Today I have my last lunch with Devoted Love. Tonight we have our last session together as a squad. And tomorrow will be our last travel day altogether!
And as sad as I am about all the lasts, about saying goodbye to these people who I love so much, about missing our squad worship nights and about knowing we probably won’t all be together again on this earth…
I am so thankful.
I am thankful for the Ugandan sunrises and sunsets, for the mud huts and lack of electricity which brought my first team so close together.
I am thankful for the kids and babies we got to hold and play with everyday in Uganda, for seeing the restoration that the Lord is doing in the girls’ lives in Lukodi.
I am thankful for Megan and Petek, our first “hosts” in Uganda, who were such awesome examples of what faithful servants can look like, who taught me so much and continued to invest in our team even after we moved on to other countries.
I am thankful for Rwanda, the gorgeous hills and the sunset moto rides (and no one crashing on the motos).
I am thankful for Hope Ethiopia, for Ralph and Glenda our hosts there, for their dreams and visions the Lord gave them and their obedience in following where He leads.
I am thankful for the Born family, and just the way they all poured into us and showed us awesome examples of what a family and marriage centered around the Lord can look like.
I am thankful for India, and the way my team turned a difficult living situation into a month to remember; for the games and videos and songs and conversations that happened even if we weren’t allowed to leave our house! 🙂
I am thankful for villages of people who are coming to know Christ in India, for the people who are running towards Jesus, and for our visit to the Leprosy colony, where joy in Lord is just so evident!
I am thankful for Christmas caroling from 6-11 PM on Christmas Eve and making amazing memories and for the saris that we got to wear on Christmas Day.
I am thankful for the way Devoted Love did life together for the first four months of the race, an intentionality that I truly think was special to the community we created among ourselves.
I am thankful for Robyn in Nepal and her boldness to speak what the Lord shares with her, for her deep faith and just encouraging words.
I am thankful for the Himalayas and the beauty that we were able to look out on every day for an entire month!
I am thankful for Cambodia and campus ministry which pushed me completely out of my comfort zone.
I am thankful for Kampong Chnang and the gorgeous village and beautiful children that I got to love on in Cambodia.
I am thankful for Relentless Pursuit and the way the Lord used that team to push me to speak up and lead, even when it was hard.
I am thankful for Thailand and the beautiful children’s home we stayed at, for the dancing and laughter every night.
I am thankful for Team Village Life, and the fun and laughter and wisdom that each woman on that team shared with me, and that my awesome and amazing friend Em and I were able to spend the month together.
I am thankful for Phuket, for the beauty of the beach, for the squad adventure day, for motor bikes and ocean swims.
I am thankful for Malaysia and the $2 Chinese buffet across the street 🙂
I am thankful for Team Talitha Koum and another group of ladies to get to know, for the fun and laughter we had but also the way we pushed and challenged one another.
I am thankful for Central America and speaking Spanish!
I am thankful for Guatemala and Morning Glory Academy, and for the joy and excitement that the students bring to worship each week.
I am thankful for Lake Atitlan and adventure.
I am thankful for my parents and them coming to Guatemala and the conversations and prayer and worship that we got to partake in together.
I am thankful for Honduras and the Colbath family, for baseball games and chocolate, for waterfalls and cliff jumping, for youth group and English classes.
I am thankful for Nicaragua and gorgeous mountain views, for the green forests, for a school that is going to shine so much light in the community.
I am thankful for getting to spend my last month with one of my best friends on the race!
I am so thankful for all that the Lord has taught me this past year, for the ways He has grown and molded me.
I am thankful to all of my supporters and prayer parents back in the States!
I’m thankful for friendships that will last a lifetime, for community that lived out church together for the past 11 months.
I am thankful that this is not the end, for the opportunity to bring everything I have learned with me everywhere I go.
I am thankful for more and more intimacy with the Father, for experiencing His love more and more everyday and knowing that will never end.
One of my friends posted this quite fro the Chronicles of Narnia which I love:
“but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful
that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories,
and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But
for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in
this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the
cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter
One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes
on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
I’m sure there will be tears. It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye. It’s hard knowing that I won’t experience exactly this ever again. But the Lord has given me so much gratitude for my World Race experience, that it’s turned to joy. Even with sadness, there is still joy. I have learned that even in the hard times, when it’s difficult, the Lord can give us joy. And as sad as it’s going to be to get on that last plane ride by myself tomorrow, I am so excited to bring all these experiences with me. See you soon!
