It’s been 4 months and 3 days since we left Atlanta Georgia.
It’s been 17 weeks.
Its also been 112 days.
Thats 2,688 hours or it can also be 161,280 minutes!
We have been to 5 countries,
2 continents,
been on 8 plane flights
Wayy more busses
Who knows how many taxis and tuk tuk’s.
We have served with one team for 4 months and are now serving with new teams.
Many things have changed but God is our constant.
In this time I have had some hard times and difficult lessons that I have had to learn.
I have failed.
I have struggled.
I haven’t always been the teammate I could’ve been.
I have kicked myself for missing moments to pray with people we come into contact with.
I have momentarily forgotten the reason I am on this race.
I have been upset with God.
I have hated myself.
I have lacked in compassion at times.
I have been quick to react.
I have been quick to speak and sometimes slow to listen.
I have failed to always see the best in my brothers and sisters.
I have been fearful.
I have been weak.
I have worried.
I have cried
I have doubted God in my worry and fear.
I haven’t trusted enough.
I haven’t had faith enough.
I haven’t gone to God enough.
I have had harsh words.
I’ve gone through team changes.
I’ve been put on an all girls team.
I’ve had a poor attitude at times.
Squad mates have gone home.
Team mates have lost loved ones.
I haven’t been able to be with family back home in hard times.
I have had to deal with spiders the size of my hand.
I have eaten more rice than even this Louisiana girl can handle.
There are SO many things that I haven’t done well and so many lessons I have needed to learn. I have had many things called out in me to help me grow closer to who Christ wants me to be. It has not been easy but I believe it is necessary. While it’s easy to sit here and tell you all the bad things or areas I have lacked in, I think it is very important to see what I HAVE been able to do. In the same amount of time that all these previous things happened, God was able to make these things happen in, through or around me.
I’ve become more vulnerable.
I’ve opened up to people I didn’t really know.
I grew stronger in my relationship with Christ.
I feed the hungry.
I loved children who had no loved ones.
I got to help others for no other reason besides just to be a blessing.
I was able to actually declare that I loved myself!
I have been blessed to grow alongside teammates.
I have had amazing God centered and accountable relationships develop more in the last four months than I have in my 29 years before the race.
I have learned to have so much appreciation for silence.
I have gotten better at listening prayer.
I have helped lead bible studies with youth.
I have taught SO many children English and Bible.
I have helped to give villages clean water.
I have played Pocahontas (aka harvested corn or any vegetable)
I have read half of the Bible.
I have grown in having grace for others.
I’ve started working on better grace with myself.
I got to show love to women working the night bars.
I have been able to experience peace in utter chaos.
I have learned to be more patient.
I’ve become a more positive person.
I’ve learned to see God in everything He brings me through.
I am learning to ALWAYS choose Joy.
I have been in multiple peoples homes to talk about Christ and his love for us.
I have been able to be an encouragement for his children around the world.
I have been able to share my testimony and God used it to bring 18 children to raise their hands and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.
I have forgiven myself for past mistakes and trials.
I have forgiven others.
I have been a better listener and a slower speaker.
I have gotten better at my quick reactions. (still learning)
I have been placed on a all girls team and God has been changing my heart.
I have grown more dependent on Christ and go to him more than to others.
Im learning to trust God completely. (again a work in progress)
I’ve been able to put myself and my growth first and before others for the first time in my life.
I’ve been able to comfort others in need.
I have learned that I am stronger than I realized.
I have learned that I matter to people.
I have been spoken into about things that will happen in my future.
I have had a heart change and now have hope.
I have gotten up every time i have fallen.
I have had an unknown number of times that I got to share my love and faith with others.
I have met so many wonderful believers around the world that have changed me.
I have re-learned that some doors need to close so that He can open better ones.
I have learned to better accept a compliment.
Seriously I could keep going but I think you get the picture. God has been able to do SO much through me and I wouldn’t be where I am at without the harder times. He uses those hard times to strengthen us. He uses trying times to mold us into who He needs us to be. We are literally walking and living out the life that we are all created to live. We are making ourselves available to God so that He can use us. I get so down on myself because things are so hard sometimes and I can’t find that grace for myself. Christ is showing me how important grace is for not only others but for self aswell.
This race is a chance for me to be able to GO as He has told me to and a chance for others who have helped support me to be able to see God work through their donations and support that they have given. It blesses my heart so much to know that so many of you believe in what I am doing and where God is calling me. I know sometimes my blogs are about how hard life is but seriously the lessons I have learned in the last 4 months FAR outweigh being home and NOT having this growth! I choose this any day! Thank you so much to all of you for prayer, support, encouragement, love and uplifting words. I couldn’t do this without you. I am super excited to see what he still has in store for me and my new team and for my brothers and sisters in my squad serving in other areas close.
Keep the prayers coming and remember that God calls us to be BOLD and He calls us to DO more. I pray that you are at a place where you know you are exactly where God wants you to be because that is such an amazing place to be! Don’t let the things that are hard or seem like failures bring you down. Look at them as things that you can grow in or have grown through and know that God is working in you through the storms to help you be better equipped for the next season.
Love y’all!
Mandie
