Happy World Race Day everyone!
Today is November 11th…(11/11) and as you all may know by now, The World Race is an 11 month missions trip to 11 different countries. (11n11)
To celebrate today, I will be writing about 11 things that I am thankful for that I’ve learned/experienced on the race and about 11 prayer requests that you all back home can keep in your mind for me while I am on the race! 🙂
11 Thanks
1) I am thankful for God calling me on the race. It is such an undeserved blessing. It has been one of the hardest and most stretching 5 months of my life, but also 5 of the best. I can’t even begin to explain it.
2) I am thankful for every single supporter that has added a penny into helping me fundraise for the Race and for everyone who has covered me in prayers.
3) I am incredibly thankful for beds, fans/air conditioning, showers, a washer, refrigerator, and things like that. I’ve learned that those things are luxury items and not to be taken for granted.
4) I am thankful for friends and team mates willing to call me out when they see me walking like Christ and in times where I could be walking more like Him in a loving way. I’m also thankful for friends and team mates that are willing to pick through my hair to help me get rid of lice…
5) I am so thankful for my church back home, even more so being on the Race. If you have a church that you go to regularly, be thankful. Going to church is a beautiful blessing.
6) I am very thankful for friends and family that continuously send encouraging messages at the right times.
7) I am thankful for God’s redemption. I talked about this some in my last blog, but He has redeemed so much in my life while being on the Race. He is still working out so many kinks in my soul, but it’s a beautiful process.
8) I am thankful for times when the weather is cool on the Race. We are on a route that is “chasing summer” all year, so when we happen to have a cooler day, it’s a huge blessing. In Thailand when we were going to Mecham, we were experiencing a very fall-like day. It was so cool, that when we breathed out air, you could see our breath. We got so excited! lol!
9) I am thankful for good night’s sleep. It’s something I really struggled with the first 3 months on the race. I have struggled with it on and off for the past two months, but I believe it has started to get easier.
10) I am thankful for the amazing opportunities that are offered on off days/adventure days. Such as riding elephants bare back and bamboo rafting in a Thai Jungle.
11) I am thankful for moments where I can be myself and just be. Those moments are rare on the race and a true gem. Sometimes you need to be by yourself to internally process, to spend time with the Lord, and just recharge. When I get back to the States, I hope to remember what a blessing it is to have those moments with out it being too hard.
11 Prayer Requests
1) Please pray that I stay well rested. Sometimes we have ministry days that are long and so it’s hard to get adequate rest. Or, we have fear of missing out on something, so we exert what little strength we have left and then our tank is past empty. I am guilty of this..lol. So please pray I learn the balance of resting and being intentional with spending time with others.
2) Please pray that I continuously remember that God is in charge of changing situations and alleviating them, not me. Sometimes it’s easy to get stressed about things going on at home, in the squad, or on my team and feel inadequate if I can’t fix it. Or, since I’m not home, that I’m not there to help.
3) Please pray that I work with the Lord on disciplining myself to drink more water…I know I don’t drink enough water and that’s not a good thing when you’re chasing summer for a year..haha.
4) Please pray that I figure out how to work fitness into my day even when things are super busy. I want to stay active. Please pray for wisdom when to do and motivation to do so.
5) Please pray that I stay intentional with my time with God and that I’m seeking out podcasts/books/music that feeds my soul Godly things and pushes me closer to Him.
6) Please pray that I learn how to lead well in this new season on the Race and that I learn how to communicate effectively.
7) Please pray for homesickness to be alleviated as I know that not only I will experience it more these next couple of months with Thanksgiving, my birthday and Christmas coming up, but the squad as a whole may. Month 5 and 6 are said to be the hardest months for homesickness. Keep all of us in your prayers, please.
8) Please pray that we all stay healthy because it’s so easy to get sick on the Race.
9) Please pray for our hearts as our squad leaders that have been with us these past 4 1/2 months get ready to go home. Also, pray for their hearts.
10) To go along with number nine, please pray for us as we transition not only to a new country, but a new continent this coming month.
11) Please pray that I get fully funded by January 1st.
Thank you all so much for reading this!!!!
I am going to start up the fund board today in hopes to raise money for my world race account and/or my personal funds.
How it works is, if you pick number 43, you pledge to donate $43 to either my world race account or my personal account. Please, only take a number if you truly feel led and plan to donate. Thank you!!!
I love and miss you all!
-Meraia
