Month 3. I’m in Bolivia. Let me get straight to the point.
Community.
Love.
Community. Wow. The World Race is overwhelmingly about community. What is the Lord teaching me in this? Being in community means being open with your struggles, showing your weaknesses, trying out new ways of thinking and living, and being willing to get it wrong; showing grace to others and yourself even when you don’t feel like it, bearing each other’s burdens – NOT USING OTHER PEOPLE’S JUNK AGAINST THEM. (The latter attribute is often a sign of maturity, I’ve come to understand.)
On the World Race, you’re thrown into a community of people that often don’t think like you, have preferences the same as you, talk like you, much less look like you. This quote says it the best: “If we are going to be like God, then we have to love like God. We will have to love people who don’t think like us, look like us, dress like us, eat like us or vote like us. We have to stop judging people before we LOVE them. “
Let that sink in.
LOVE IS FIRST.
I’m trying to grasp the TRUTH that there can be great unity in great diversity. LOVE ISN’T CHEAP. REAL LOVE IS COSTLY. It costs you your comfort, your pride, your preferences, and sometimes the opinions of others. LOVE BRINGS CHAOS BACK INTO ORDER. The Lord has challenged me in relationship to love crazily; to be the one to take the risk of rejection, to love undeservedly, to love even when it doesn’t make sense; to pursue when you’ve been wronged and OFTEN misunderstood, to love and initiate even when you’re rightly owed an “I’m sorry”.
Can I tell you something? Before launch, I asked Pappa what He created me for. You know what He clearly answered? He told me how happy he was happy when I LOVED PEOPLE WELL. HE CREATED ME TO LOVE OTHERS WELL.
I got this beautiful image of Pappa dancing and rejoicing when I loved His creation well. Imagine the biggest smile Pappa could give! That image still makes me exuberant! To picture my Father delighting over me! (I dare you to ask this question to the one who created you.)
Imagine how much more beautiful life would be if we all knew what Pappa was thinking when He created us.
One of our squad leaders sat in on our team time and confirmed this message. What a sweet gift God gave to me. This woman didn’t even know the amount of encouragement that little note gave me. 
To love the community that we are placed in daily. To model a crazy love like Jesus that doesn’t make any sense to the natural mind or the world.
This love changes things.
THIS IS HOW THE LOST GET FOUND.
“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from hjs love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are you hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. “ Phillippians 2:1-2
