Recently one of my dearest friends and roommate accepted the call to “go” and agreed to co-lead a trip to Cambodia and Thailand through the world race semester program. Just two weeks before launch she decided that God was calling her to postpone going back to school and instead, follow him across the world to spend a semester working in orphanage ministry. Her faith and obedience are astounding and something I aim to imitate as I begin this process. Saying goodbye was incredibly difficult because we both thought we would have until December together before I launched. Instead of having four more months together, we had two weeks. There were tears almost every day as we soaked in every last bit of pillow talk and meals made in our small kitchen and one last spontaneous late night drive. No amount of time was going to feel long enough. Goodbyes are hard.
This got me thinking about all of the incredibly difficult goodbyes that are to come over the next four months. In all honesty, following this call has required more sacrifice than I thought I had signed up for. There has been plenty of fear faced, stress added, and doubt taken on and I haven’t even left yet. But something else I’m learning is that this isn’t just a sacrifice I’m making, but one that I’m asking my friends and family to make as well–all in the name of the gospel. This has been a very humbling realization. The thing I keep clinging to is that God goes before me into each day and is preparing a place for me where I can find rest, peace, and hope. Some days this has looked like a quiet morning commute, or a chance to dive into the word during lunch, or an evening of fellowship with friends. Not only does he go before me but He’s within me, reminding me that he is always bringing me to something good. Always.
Amongst the heaviness that has come with the preparation for the trip, there has also been an immense joy and excitement in thinking about all of the people I will me, adventures I will go on, and most importantly, the ways I will see God move.
Blessings,
Rachel
