Community, it’s a big buzz word among us World Race folks,
its what we long for when we don’t have it, its what we strive for among our
teams, its what we desire and are a bit afraid won’t be there when we go
home. It’s beautiful and
challenging, its what I don’t think I can live without anymore and what I wish
I didn’t have to deal with some days.
Its one of the things I’ve learned the most about on the Race, and
something I still don’t think I fully understand the importance of.
On our way to ministry one night, we are sooo good-looking.
Our team, our squad, our ministry contacts, and in the
occasional month other teams, like the Passport girls that are with us this
month, are all part of the community of the World Race. I now know about ministry opportunities
in nine countries that would welcome me back to work with their ministries
anytime. I have a worldwide
community thanks to the World Race, and I don’t know that until this month as I
start preparing to go home that I realized how special that is. Not only do I have international
community but also there is such a great sense of unity and encouragement in
Gainesville, GA where the World Race offices are. I can’t begin to say how many times some of us on W Squad
have said, in a half-joking voice that we should just all move to GA and
continue our community there. We
know that there are people there that would love to encourage us, help us to
figure out our next steps, and just to spend time with us. Its so incredibly comforting to know
great of a community that the World Race has nurtured among past, present, and
future Racers.
This month has been such a great reminder of the importance
of community and the different roles each of us have within that. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs we
are working with SHE Ministries, at SHE currently there are four Race teams,
one Passport team, and the MTS (Missions Training School) students, as well a
few long term volunteers. During
this month they have all become part of my community, we eat together, worship
together, pray together, play together, and of course visit the bubble tea man
together. Two of the guys from the
MTS (as well as our contacts’ son Josh) helped me take my weave out a couple
days ago, if that isn’t community I’m not sure what is.
Weave friends for life.
On the day we left SHE the incredible Passport ladies made
us breakfast, wrote us lovely notes of encouragement, prayed over us, and
finished off the morning with a little impromptu worship session. I can’t think of a better way to end
our time at SHE, in the prayer room (which has the boards with all the names of
bars and bar girls the ministry has made contact with) surrounded by so many of
the people I’ve come to love so much in these months.
Our goodbye breakfast!
Thailand was so good to me, I learned so much about having a
heart of worship, the power of prayer, and the incredible importance of
surrounding yourself with people who can challenge and encourage you just by
living their lives.
