Rae,
So, you’re leaving for the World Race in 7 days. How crazy is that. Where did the time go? You thought you had so much time to spend with your family and friends, get the legal forms notarized, pick up the odds and ends, and finish the rest of your never ending to-do list. But now it’s the final week and you’re scrambling to do it all! Haha, typical you. Embrace it, but cast your anxieties on the Lord and He will give you peace.
Just as fast as the time before launch went, so too the time on the Race will go. Savor every moment, even the difficult ones. Press into your squad, your team, your ministry, the pain, the heat, the bugs, but most of all, press into God. Never lose sight of the reason you decided to go on the World Race – to partner with God in the crazy cool things He is already doing around the world.
You are not a world changer, but God is. You cannot change lives, but God can. You cannot survive the World Race, but by the grace of God, you will.
Here are some things I want you to do during your time on the World Race (in no particular order):
– Say yes more. I know, you’re pretty boring, but the world is an amazing place, and you have an amazing opportunity to explore it. Don’t let your fear get in the way of taking full advantage of the opportunities you are given.
– Eat the food without asking what’s in it. Just don’t ask. You don’t always want to know. When you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat anything anyway.
– Make time with God your #1 priority every day. That seems like a no brainer, being on a mission trip and all. But the World Race is “normal” life, just lived in new places. If you don’t prioritize time with the Lord at home, you won’t prioritize time with Him on the Race. Make the conscious decision to choose God first, every time.
– Hold all your possessions with an open hand. Nothing is yours anyway. Learn to share in a way that would make Caleb the proudest brother ever. Don’t hoard your food. Yes, even the sweets. And if your stuff gets lost/stolen/broken, grieve it and move on. Material items are temporary after all. Focus on the eternal things.
– Do things that scare you. Whether that’s eating a tarantula, river rafting, speaking in public, leading in some way, just make sure you do it. You very likely will never have another opportunity to do those things again. Stretch yourself far, far outside your comfort zone and see what God has for you in the unknown.
– Be teachable. Learn new skills (shoutout to my teammate Hannah who I am counting on to teach me the Ukulele!) Be open to feedback. Take constructive criticism humbly and with an open mind and heart. Be willing to step up and be the first to do the thing no one wants to do. Then look back at the end of the Race and see how much you’ve learned. It’ll be cool, I promise.
Most of all, do not give up. There are going to be days when you want to quit and go home. There will be days when the community is hard, the weather is hot, the bugs are just too much, you’re tired of wearing the same 3 shirts every day, and you just want some dang Chick-Fil-A, to be back home in your comfy bed 30 feet away from your comfy toilet, surrounded by your friends and family who you miss so much it hurts. Do not give up. In those times, turn toward the face of God, and He will give you everything you need.
Abba is going to teach you what it looks like to be utterly dependent on Him, but first He must strip you of everything you know and everything you are comfortable with. He does not say this will be a pleasant process, but it will be worth it. Pray hard, listen harder, and see your life radically transformed by the One who created the universe, yet loves you more than anyone else (#notreally,butkindof).
Love,
Future RaeLynn
(this feels a little “Back to the Future-esque, but it’s kind of cool)
I am still in need of $4,832 to be fully funded. Click here if you would like to make a financial donation. I couldn’t do this without you!
