As I continue to reflect on what is to come in the days, months, and year ahead. I am beginning to taste what my parents experienced moving away from Iowa up to Minnesota thirty- some years ago. They left their parents, siblings and relatives, their home church, their culture…. their comfort. They had to make a new place feel like ‘home’, new jobs, find a new core group of friends, and a new church. This is all similar on a smaller scale of what I’ll experience on The World Race.
I am jumping right into an experience of lifetime, but also into an experience of lots of unknowns. As I reflect on the brave move my parents made years ago, I cannot help but think 1. they had each other, but 2. they followed His call. And although, I desire to fall in love and be married one day & really am excited to do life with him to fight for him, challenge him, have our foundation be in Christ, I am to remember that I am a Child of God. Not only am I following His call for my life, but heck He will be with me throughout this entire journey. He will equip me, He will protect me, He will give me grace, He will never let go of me. I was given a verse the other day by a friend and it blew my mind as I recently have been struggling with the fear that I am not enough when it comes to bringing the Gospel to others, that I won’t use to the correct terminology, that I don’t know the Bible enough, that I’ll talk too fast, not loud enough, mumble too much, my speech impediment will distract them from the core purpose of the message.
Exodus 4:12 says “Now go, I will help you speak,
and will teach you what to say”
In all honesty, I was really encouraged for the first few seconds after reading it, and then I realized He said ‘I’ll teach you’. And that’s where I paused, and asked ‘why can’t you just give it me, here & now, Lord?’ And I heard him say: Mariah, this is a journey that you opted in to, and I am going to be with you not just for this journey, but for eternity! I want you to be patient, I want you to trust Me, but I need you to be bold- pray for opportunities to trust me completely, to have Faith in Me. I will use you in ways you cannot fathom right now, but you wait, because I will not fail you!
As I am officially unemployed now, I am really looking forward to having this month be truly devoted to family, friends, and quiet time with Him. And during that time with Christ, to not just have worship music playing with my Bible open, but to writing down my prayers of thankfulness, of fears, of praises, of worries and doubts, but also a time of tuning in and being attentive to hearing His voice.
I know the goodbye to my parents come August 5th won’t be easy, but I am thankful they support me, love me, and are faithfully praying for me as I embark on this huge journey. When God called them to move up to Minnesota, He knew exactly what He was doing and it puts a smile on my face to be able to realize part of that now (…23 years later). God gave my parents a heart to serve others by using our home. My parents don’t just open the front door to guests, exchange students, college students, young adults, families, for a few nights. Instead my parents rent out the entire basement. My parents have allowed 12 young adults individuals + a family to make sure they are comfortable, that they feel like they are ‘home away from home’ just as they experienced moving up here. I pray as I will find 11 ‘new homes’ each month, that I can remember it isn’t just where I lay my head at night or where I eat my meals, but rather that God called me there for a reason, that I am safe and protected, that the ministry hosts ‘welcome’s’ my team and I in with open arms & ready to give us tasks in which God will equip us for.
Thankful my Heavenly father gave me amazing examples of what an open door looks like to serve others. I am excited to be on the other side of this now as I travel. I am praying I can do what He asks of me, that I can be bold when it comes to sharing my testimony, sharing from the Gospel, even simply being His light when it comes to sharing words and actions. And that I firmly believe that He will help me speak and teach me what to say to many different ages, cultures, life experiences about many things.
Thank you everyone who has followed along my journey this far. I am so thankful to be able to use July to be present and focused on where I am right now and what is to come. So thank you for your constant prayers, and financial support as it is really nice not to have to worry about support raising anymore. Praise the Lord! But really, thank you for all your support and encouragement as I get closer and closer to launching! If you want to get an e-mail alert when I update my blog be sure to subscribe: you can do so up the left side of this page in the sidebar!
You are all the best! And much love to all of you!
