Ok b'ys, i'm combining my blogs for why i'm going on the race and my expectations blog. I feel they run into each other, and it's less intimidating to a nonblogger like me, haha.
I graduated university last May [2011] unsure about what to do next. I considered going on the January 2012 race, but it didn't feel right, and God wasn't speaking to me about it, so ruled it out. For the last year or two everytime the race was suggested or I thought about going I liked the idea, but it wasn't something I thought about seriously. Over Christmas [just past], when I was home I saw a really good friend of mine who'd recently returned from the race. She and another good friend of mine, whos also done the race, [I'll be the 4th Nova Scotian to go!] for awhile have been encouraging me to do it too, and as she told us about her race the Spirit began whispering to me.
I returned to Newfoundland 3 January and started seriously thinking, and praying about the race. I’m a verbal processor but I also find it helpful to journal/prayer journal about things that I’m not ready to talk to people about yet. So I sat down one evening with God, and while journaling came to the conclusion I was going. While I was journaling I firmly felt that either I would go on the race in September or not at all. I also had a sense that a closer walk with God would be passed up for a more "ordinary" life, and if that was the case then there wasn't much of a choice to be made [i'm not saying one has to go overseas for this to happen, or that God wouldn't use or grown me if i didn't go, but that God was telling me He wanted to use this in my life]. And so when I realized this, my decision was made. That was the day before Old Christmas, and although i didn't apply for almost another month, if I told people about it I told them I was going, not that I was applying to go. It wasn't till after my interview that I had the thought that I might not get accepted, I just knew so clearly that that was where God wanted me. I even joked that if they called me back and said I wasn't accepted I would suggest they pray about it more and get back to me because I knew I was going.
I 'm super excited about this adventure that God is leading me on. I'm expecting to come to know and experience God in new ways that I can't even imagine right now. Although I firmly believe in the power of prayer I expect to put that belief into practice more. I'm expecting to learn to become dependent on the Spirit, and to walk in the Spirit instead of my own strength; to lean not on my own understand. I do expect there to be hard times, but that I will grow from them; to have a heart after His. I know, and believe, these things can happen anywhere, including where I am right now, but I'm excited to experience them on the race. I'm excited about it being an intentional choice to obey God and to serve Him, to learn about Him, to grow closer to Him, to let Him use me, for Him to grow me and draw me closer to Him.
peace, nicole
