Hello Readers!
Ecuador has been a very busy place and I have seen lots of places: Miranda, Quito, Banos, and now Cuenca. We leave for an overnight, long bus ride tonight at 9pm.
There have been many ups and downs, but through it all, the Lord has been faithful and a strong tower through all the changes.
I would like to share with you all my plans for after the Race, well, at least the next step. A few weeks ago I asked some of you for prayers for the Lord to speak clearly and give me direction. The plans I have made are based upon what I felt the Lord calling me to.
I first felt the call to GA early in the Race (month 2, Guatemala). I wasn’t sure of specifics until this past month though (Ecuador). After the Race I will return home for a brief time (6-7 weeks) where I get to enjoy the year end holidays with friends and family.
In mid-January I will journey down to GA to attend a week long conference that AIM hosts for former World Racers (Project SearchLight) where I get to reunite with my squad and enjoy the AIM community.
At the end of January I will begin a program that Adventures calls CGA (Center for Global Action). While in Ecuador this past month, I believe I heard the Lord calling me to Worship. Hence, I have signed up for CGA: Worship Track. You may be wondering what CGA is, so I have included the following to describe it as best as I understand.
CGA is for World Racer Alumni. There are multiple components to it, such as:
– Community: living with 5 – 8 other people
– Discipleship: one-on-one meetings with someone to disciple you
– Apprenticeship with AIM: working with AIM in one of their departments (weekday afternoons)
– Tracks: AIM offers several semester long tracks – Worship, Business in Missions, Leadership, Kingdom Journeys, Long Term Missions, Story. These happen 3 mornings during the week.
– Courses: A variety of topics will be covered during this time. This happens once a week.
– BURN: On Monday mornings, AIM staff and CGA participants have a morning full of worship.
I have committed to attend the three full semesters (12-15 weeks each) they offer, which means I will be in Gainesville, GA, for most of 2016.
The first track that I will be participating in is Worship. (Check out my previous blog titled: Worship & Stars.) We will be exploring and learning much about WORSHIP. Here is the synopsis I was given from the Worship Track Leader:
“The Worship Track focuses on 3 main subjects- intimacy, identity & worship. We want to raise up people with a heart of worship who set the atmosphere wherever they go, not just people who can play guitar well. As such, there’s no requirement for participants to be musically inclined. We’re looking for people with willing hearts looking to get pushed outside their comfort zones and go to new places with the Lord.
Through times of teaching and activation, we explore subjects like the heart of the Father, identity, songwriting, creativity & art (and the difference between the two), the power of worship, prophecy, intercession, and the tabernacle of David.
We currently do not offer personal voice or instrument training during track time but you are more than welcome to pursue it outside of that. There are plenty of opportunities to practice and step out musically.”
Also, while being on the RaceI have had much time to reflect on what I’d like to do with my life. Looking back on my 30+ years of life, I realized that I am most at peace with God and my soul when I am serving in ministry. There are several other Tracks offered but I am unsure of which ones I will be taking as of now, as the Lord has not directed me yet. Often times in life we are not given the full trajectory of our path, but simply the next step.
All of this being said, I will need your help and continued support both prayerfully and financially. I will need to raise a total of $10,450. This will cover my costs for CGA: lodging, food, and tuition. I know that I could not have raised $14,250 without the Lord’s help for the WR and I know that he will provide again for CGA.
Since I have left, as few people have expressed interest in purchasing one of the t-shirts that I had made prior to the Race. As a way to raise more financial support: I would love to place another order for a batch of t-shirts if enough people are interested. I will be selling them for $25.
Let me know if you’d like one or if you want/need more information. Sizes Small – 3X available. These are the old images but the country list will be updated with the correct countries. (Remove Costa Rica and add Argentina). I’d like to place the order by the middle of September so just let me know if you want one (or multiple) and sizes. Thanks!
Another option is to give a financial donation of any amount. All donations made to AIM are tax-deductible. Details on how to give directly to AIM are coming soon! Please prayerfully consider giving a Financial Donation if you feel led.
Thanks for all of your support! God bless!
Keep Lookin’ Up,
Misha
