09/03/20-09/13/20
Next, we went to Washington state for our debrief and the Awakening conference. When we got there, we met up with the original World Race America team (F-squad) and another team that formed from racers pulled off the field due to COVID-19 (C-squad). We camped at a KOA camping ground for approximately 2 weeks. While there; we made a timeline of our race so far and had teachings about the armor of God and spreading Christianity.
We had an opportunity to have one on one time with leadership. We became one big community. Each squad alternated cooking and cleaning each meal. We even got to celebrate some birthdays (Kellie, Jake, Morgan)! On one of our days off we headed to Seattle to celebrate Kellie’s birthday. While walking around downtown we met a guy that was homeless. We sat down and listened to his opinion about the current state of our country and God. I was proud of my squad and reminded how we are living ministry as life and life as ministry. We may not have seen him come to Christ, but we planted a seed. God calls us to plant seeds wherever we go. We should never be ashamed of the gospel.
Our host from Oregon (Caleb) surprised us and came to join us for the Awakening. I was so excited to have more time and learn alongside him. Being with C and F squad gave me a rare opportunity to hear their testimonies and learn what God has taught them over the last year. And boy did they have some good stories! This was an incredibly unique opportunity because on the international World Race we would not have had an opportunity to spend time with anyone on another squad. God loves to throw in extra special surprises!
During the Awakening conference, we had teachings on our identity in Christ, the trap of offense, corporate identity, and casting your net again with a twist. We also had a couple leader panels to ask questions. After our talk about “the trap of offense,” I spoke to a couple people that had unknowingly offended me. They were honored I came to tell them and of course they had no idea they had offended me. Both were very gracious and apologized for the offense. It was a weight off my shoulders!
One day between teachings everyone went on a prayer walk and we met some homeless gentlemen. One was playing guitar on the steps so a few of us gathered and asked him questions about his talent and poured out encouragement. He was not a Christian but he was very interested in our faith so we shared what our faith meant to us. We prayed for him and gave him a Bible.
Next, we walked past a couple men on a bench. One yelled to me “do you smoke weed” as he offered his pipe. I told him “no.” He suddenly saw the Bible in my hand and said “that is better” as he pointed to the Bible. We talked to him and found out he was a Christian and a veteran. He was currently homeless but he was trying to find a place to stay. He was worried because he couldn’t get in touch with his family. He had been given a phone but he didn’t know how to answer a phone call. I showed him how to answer and he was so excited. He shared that he reads his Bible and holds onto his faith. We prayed for him and encouraged him to not give up. He asked us for a Bible and we gladly gave him one.
Washington was a lovely state and the people we met were very friendly and willing to listen. God had prepared their hearts and I pray that they run to Him because he promises to be there if we seek Him.
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”
??Proverbs? ?8:17? ?NIV??
