It’s about 3 am here and the morning bears an eerie resemblance to the night we launched in August 2017 to head out to Serbia. But this time the bus will be loaded and then the Racers will all get on a plane carrying them home, the road walked together will split into 43 different paths: some that will cross often and others that will never meet again.
The sun won’t be up for hours but this is my last morning on the Race. In the last few moments before we begin to head down the stairs carrying our giant burrito bags, I want to honor and commemorate everyone who walked this journey with me.
A shout to X squad, you did it. You went to the nations and spread the Gospel, you prayed healing and prophesied over one another, you saw the broken, the poor, the corrupt, the consequences of sin and even death and you looked all that in the face and declared Jesus’s victory and power over all of it. You walked in the authority most Christians only read about, dream about having and saw the Kingdom coming here to Earth. You’ve encouraged me through the good and the bad, the growth and the changes, the tears and the laughs and all the awkward moments as we were learning the language of charades. You were bold, you were brave and now you are ready to continue walking the path set before you even though your squad mates no longer walk by your side.
A shout out to those who walked these past two years with me, my prayer and financial supporters who heard God’s voice when He told them to give, who heard God’s voice when He told them to pray. You didn’t know what this journey would look like but you trusted in Him to do amazing things anyway. You looked at me and you realized the call He had placed on my life and instead of backing down, leaving the prayer and the giving to someone else you stepped up your game and you were courageously generous. When you get to heaven one day you will see where that 20, 100, 500 or even 1000 dollars went. The Lord will point someone out and say- that person is here now because you were obedient when I asked you to send, you were obedient when there was a need and you prayed. To those who wrote comments on my blogs who read the mumble jumble I manage to type up and find it in their hearts to spur me on- you kept me going in so many ways. I may not have replied to to all your wonderful words, but they pierced my heart and fortified my mind with truth so the enemy’s fiery arrows couldn’t get to me. Your words as encouragers and readers were an important part of the journey, a reminder to keep going even when the living conditions weren’t great or the ministry wasn’t to my liking. And if you were there in the beginning, part of the woman’s group who sat with me and prayed and listened as I got vulnerable about how hard fundraising was, if you volunteered with me on Sunday mornings or at homeless shelters, if you were a colleague who didn’t belittle me for leaving my career, or a family member who jumped on board and said go, or a friend who showed up with clothing or used goods when I did fundraisers, you were a part of this journey too. Lives have been changed because of your actions and support, because of your listening ears and your willingness to walk with me and be a part of the great commission. These last few moments in silence and prayer before the chaos of travel begins, I dedicate to you.
Thank you.
