I know, I know. I said I wouldn’t wait another month to post another update. There’s different things that have gone on that I’ve been wanting to share about on here but I just haven’t, and i’m sorry about that! To catch you up, here’s what life this past month has looked like:
- The last thing I shared was that my team and I were in San Pedro de Atacama. The few days I had there were pure magic. One day while I was reading in a park, I met a man from Spain who was biking up from Patagonia to Alaska. He told me about his journey in life and how this trip was a spiritual one for him. He told me he wanted to journey alone with God for some time while doing something physically demanding of him. I was able to share about what we’re doing on the Race and was able to pray over his journey, and he wished me luck on my own! I was also able to bike ride through the Valley of Death which was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my entire life. Here’s me at the top of the valley after hiking up the mountain with my bike on my shoulders:
- Next my team and I felt the Lord leading us to La Serena for a whole week. Our very first day in the city we met some of the sweetest people: a couple from Santiago who owned a food truck by the beach (I’ll talk more about them at the end). Throughout this week, my team and I were able to really connect with our Airbnb host, Vanessa, who was our age! We had a great time hanging out with her this week and truly made a great friend. Later on this week, I was able to reconnect with the couple who owned a food truck and was able to work with them for a few hours one day as they taught me to make some incredible Ceviche!
- After leaving La Serena, my team met up with the other team and our coaches for our first official Debrief! We had an incredible week looking back on the first two months on the race, getting reconnected with our friends from team church camp, and even exploring Santiago for a day while praying for people. Here’s a photo of me and a cute dog that was on the property we were staying at. We named her Shiloh. We bonded quite well <3
- After debrief, my team and I felt the Lord leading us to go to straight to Mendoza, Argentina! We crossed the border on the 28th into Argentina, and WOW I have loved every second of it! Mendoza was a great city for my team to spend some time looking forward to what we want our team culture to look like. While we were there, some of my teammates met these two really cool guys from England while they were on a hike. The next day we all rented bikes together and biked to different vineyards just outside of the city. This day was one of my favorites so far, and later that night we had some really really great conversations about life and faith with our new friends! We spent a few more days in this city getting to know the lifestyle and then headed to Buenos Aires!
- My team and I arrived in Buenos Aires this past Monday (March 9th). So far I have loved being in this beautiful city! I have met some really sweet people and started some really cool friendships! I’m loving hostel life and am really excited for the rest of my time here.
What I wanted to take some time to talk about here at the end is my time with Catalina and Ricardo, the couple who owns a food truck called “La Makina del Tiempo” (which translates to “The Time Machine”) in La Serena, Chile.
We met these two our very first day in La Serena and honestly I felt a connection from the start. One thing that they taught us in training camp was to look for people of peace, and as we sat beside the truck our very first night in the city I was reminded of this objective. I asked the team who they thought was the person of peace in the truck. We all said Catalina, but I honestly felt like they both worked together so well to bring peace to where they were. It was so radiant that I just felt drawn to their little truck. The next morning, as we took some time to listen to God about what he had for us that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about Catalina and Ricardo. I didn’t know what to say or how to go back to talk to them, but they were there in my head.
I didn’t have time to go back and see them that day, and honestly that’s okay. I’ve found that on unscripted you never really know what to expect for most days, and sometimes waiting is the best thing. The catch is though that you shouldn’t forget what you hear the Lord speaking to you, just put it on the shelf till the time is right. BUT when you get the opportunity, you better take it.
Later that same night, the idea popped in my head of going back to the food truck to ask if they would teach me how to cook Ceviche. I finally got my “in.” The funny thing is that I don’t even like fish, and this dish is straight up RAW FISH with some veggies and spices and lemon juice and oil. AKA: not my first choice. Needles to say though, this idea stuck in my head all night and I was so excited about this crazy thing I felt the Lord gave me to do.
I woke up the next day and it seemed as though I was trying to find any excuse to NOT go talk to Catalina and Ricardo. I’m not sure what happened, but so many thoughts came into my head that said “that’ll be so awkward”, ”you can’t do that”, “they’ll say no because they’re busy all day”… bottom line is I was afraid of what I would say and I really didn’t look for the opportunity to talk to them. Later on in the day, we literally walked by the food truck and all I did was wave and say “hola!” We were right there and I kept telling myself “just go talk to them” but I just walked on by.
I’m not usually one to let fear control me, I’ve dealt with a lot of that before and I’ve grown a lot in getting over my fears. A verse that has always encouraged me in this is Joshua 1:9 which talks about being strong and courageous because the Lord is always with us and on our side. But this time fear did its thing and got me. I walked right by the food truck and didn’t listen to the voice in my head and it hurt me. I stopped for a second about 30 feet from the truck and just closed my eyes as my teammates kept walking. I took a deep breath and turned right around to make my way back to the truck without even saying anything. I’m not really sure how, but I kind of just let go. Let go of what? Fear maybe? Myself maybe? I couldn’t tell you exactly. But that’s what happened.
Next thing I knew, not even 2 minutes later, I had plans for Thursday afternoon at 4 pm to learn how to cook Ceviche in a food truck.
The 4 hours I spent with them was really a sweet treat for me. Not only did I get to learn how to make some really good Ceviche, which I actually did like, I got to know some really incredible people, hear their stories, and share some of mine. Easily one of the most random things I’ve done, but definitely one of the coolest. Here’s some photos:
My time with these two really opened my eyes to what Unscripted is all about: obedience. We didn’t go to La Serena because we had plans or connections there. We went looking to be obedient, and that’s what we’re doing for the rest of the race. Going back to that food truck was a big step of obedience for me. I thought it would be uncomfortable and awkward and I even thought, “is this something I actually want to do?” But I pushed those aside and did it anyway. It hasn’t been like that every time, but this time it was and I’m glad I did it.
Look, when I signed up for the race this is not what I thought it would look like. I held tightly to the idea that ministry was all about working in churches or orphanages or with missionaries or missions organizations and that’s exactly what I thought we would be doing. I didn’t know what it would look like to live a lifestyle of “life is ministry, ministry is life” outside of the bubble that i was comfortable with. But my eyes have slowly been opened to the way that I believe Jesus intended ministry to look like: simply living life obediently.
I hope you know that this is not something just for my squad and I to do on the race. It’s for you too, back home pursuing God right where you are. As you encourage me to be obedient (which I have to say I am EXTREMELY thankful for), I want to encourage each of you to be obedient as well, no matter how crazy it sounds. You’ve got at least two people on your side, and one of them is me.
Much Love,
Michael
