Hey all, thanks for stopping by to check this out!
As you all probably know by now, I am alumni team leading this fall. Alumni team leading looks like launching with a gap squad for the first three months of their race, & intentionally discipling them, doing life with them, and helping to set them up well for the rest of their time overseas. When I applied to alumni team lead a few months ago, this was my expectation: to travel back to Guatemala as well as Costa Rica doing just that. Often times what we expect is subject to change, because more often than not God’s timing & the story that He’s written doesn’t match up with our timing & what we had in mind. This week I am being reminded to surrender my expectations to the Lord because His hand is over me & because His plan for my life is so much bigger than I can comprehend.
Today we received an email from Adventures in Missions letting us know that they have made a decision as an organization, after constant prayer & consulting their ministry partners around the world, that they will be going ahead with a contingency plan for the fall that looks a lot different than what the race has always been. Since many countries have not yet opened up their borders for international travel, all squads will be spending a semester (September-November) of missional training, discipleship, & leadership development in Gainesville, GA at the Adventures in Missions headquarters. After those three months, the squads will be launching in January to head overseas to apply all that they have learned & grown in over those few months in Georgia.
This contingency plan sure doesn’t meet the expectations that I had set in my mind, but something that I have been praying over our leadership team & our squad, is that we would seek the Lord’s perspective above everything else & that we would all just be really willing vessels in this season. That we would walk in with open hands in surrender, being eager to partner with God in whatever this season holds, no matter if it meets our expectations or not.
A piece of scripture that God has highlighted for me in this season is Psalm 46, specifically two verses at the beginning.
“So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away. We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. For the raging roar of stormy winds cannot erode our faith in you.” Psalm 46:2-3 (TPT)
It can be really easy when your expectations are not met to allow your mind to spiral into anxiety, fear, and “what if” situations. The good news is that we have a Father who fights for us, is on our side, loves us beyond measure, and prepares a table for us in the midst of pressure to come & rest. Later on in Psalm 46 it says this:
“God has a constantly flowing river whose sparkling streams bring joy and delight to his people. His river flows right through the city of God Most High into his holy dwelling places. God is in the midst of his city, secure and never shaken.” Psalm 46:4-5 (TPT)
WE are God’s holy dwelling places. He’s not going anywhere. He’s not letting go.
This scripture has brought a lot of peace to my spirit as I walk into this now new season that didn’t necessarily meet the expectations that I had set in my mind. His plan is better than my expectations, and I am honored to partner with Him in this season in a new & unexpected way.
I hope that God speaks to every single one of you reading this blog today, & I pray that Psalm 46 brings rest, clarity, and peace to your spirit too. I am going to post below more in depth of what exactly missional training, discipleship, and leadership development means so that you all know how I get to partner with God this fall in helping to equip a bunch of young adults to effectively be the hands and feet of Jesus. If you want to support me financially for team leading, go ahead & click the donate button at the top of my page OR venmo me! (nikki-jacobson-1)
If you have any questions about what I’m doing, the contingency plan, or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out to me!
Blessings,
Nikki
Email- [email protected]
Missional training: Bringing you to our headquarters for three months means you’ll get hands-on training about what missions is really like and tons of opportunities to flesh that out, starting right here in our own country! Think evangelism, community development and outreach.
Leadership development: Learn from our top-notch leaders how to lead yourself and others the way Jesus led. We’ve got business leaders, teachers and experts in-house and from around the country who are preparing to help you understand what it means to lead yourself and your generation. It’s time to step out of the classroom you’ve been sitting in for 13 years. Learn from experience as you become the leader you’ve always wanted to be.
Discipleship: Have you ever wondered if there is more to church? Or surface-level friendships? Yeah, us too. In this age of social networking, your generation is known as the loneliest on the planet. We want to change that! We’re here to teach you about the selfless, authentic love Jesus always talked about. That’ll probably happen somewhere between late-night pillow talks, discussions about life, Jesus, and the Bible while sweating in the Georgia sun, and enjoying a few dance parties along the way. You will never think of church or community the same.
