Today I had the privilege of sharing about the World Race in front of my church family. Here’s a little sampling of what was shared:
Because I am super intellectual, I am in a book club with one of my buddies. He’s 10 and we’re reading The Hobbit.
Try not to be intimidated by our intellectual..ness.
In reading this story, I’ve been finding a lot of correlation between Bilbo’s journey and the upcoming adventure I’ll be setting out on next year. While Gandalf knocked on Bilbo’s door and invited him to help take out a fire breathing dragon, the Lord knocked on the door of my heart to invite me on an adventure to take out dragons of a different sort.
Which is good because I’m not a huge fan of huge lizards.
Like Bilbo, my first reaction upon receiving the invitation was one of reluctance. Bilbo exclaimed that adventures were “Nasty, disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!” Although I am all for adventures, I already had dinner plans and spending 11 months on the mission field was certainly going to disturb them.
However, time went on and it looked very clearly that this was the direction I was supposed to walk in. So I decided on some research. I began to really dig into information about the countries that I would be serving in. I began to see the fires and the needs in each country. And I caught the vision.
Gandalf invited Bilbo on an adventure to take out a fire breathing dragon who had desolated the land of the dwarves. Dragons of a different sort are at work today. Dragons of poverty, corruption, disease and hopelesness run rampant setting fires all over world. And so, the Lord has invited this lowly, awkward and goofy little hobbit on an adventure to go out into the nations and help take down some dragons; to fight, with feet on the ground, to reclaim home and reclaim Heaven in these scorched lands.
And so I go.
I created this video to give a taste of what I’ll be facing in each place I’ll be serving in this upcoming year. Please be praying for this little dragon slayer. Although I know that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” to go out and take out these monsters with Hope and Love, I know that I will grow tired and weary and miss the Shire.
To quote Bilbo himself:
“Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you’re right, I often think of Bag End and the Shire. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that’s where I belong, that’s home. But that’s why I came back. Because you don’t have one, a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can. ”
Why I Go from Rachael Curtis on Vimeo.
Thank you so much to all who have supported me! When I take into account the future contributions of those who have pledged monthly, I am 81% funded! This number is so humbling and completely blows my mind!
Training Camp is in a couple of weeks. This is where we…well…train and camp. It’s also where we meet our Squad, where our specific teams are selected, and where we begin to really dive in to what the Lord has for us this year. Please be praying for all of this…it’s sure to be crazy!
Love,
