Hey everyone!
I can’t believe we’ve been here for 15 days already! It sometimes feels like it’s been months!
Shortly after we arrived, we did a scavenger hunt around Chiang Mai. Here are a few pictures. Side notes – I still HATE crossing the street; the temples here are plenty and beautiful; I ate a cricket and let sucker fish eat the skin off my feet! 😉
A lot happened during Training Camp, out on the ranch… Healing… Inspiration… Perseverance… I’m still processing all that I learned there, but one thing I walked away with was the assurance that God is very much aware of me and connecting things in my life to remind me that He knows and loves me.
On one of our days off we went to Sticky Falls and got WET! We climbed up and down the falls. It was SOOO fun!
Right now, we’re in the midst of launch and growing together in our teams. We’ve done a lot of fun things, but I’ve also experienced some personal struggles. But God is good and present, and the leadership here is incredible – I’m truly, so encouraged and honored to be a part of this team and organization!
There is so much I could share, but in the same vein of going deeper, I’d just like to focus on one thing that God showed me early on…. So, those of you who know me, know me as a hard worker, conscientious and responsible to a fault. Before coming out on the race, there was so much I was trying to keep in order – my family life, my work life, my personal life, my spiritual life… It was overwhelming to keep it all together! During one of our first worship sessions, we sung a song I had never heard. There was a phrase in the song that spoke to me, when talking about Jesus:
I want to sit at Your feet,
Drink from the cup in Your hand,
Lay back against You and breathe,
Feel Your heartbeat.
It evoked an image in my mind of literally sitting at Jesus’ feet, laying against His chest, and simply resting in His love. I’d never thought of Jesus in this way… that He would be pleased with me just resting in His presence. In that moment, it was as if He was telling me, “you don’t need to hold it all together. You’ve been doing that for so long, now is the time to let it go and just be in my presence. That is enough.” It was powerful…
Since that moment, God has continued to speak to me and the coolest part about it is I’m confident that I’ve heard Him! So, even though there are still some things I struggle with, things that I need to unpack and replace with His truth, it’s exciting to hear God speaking and see His words connecting with my life in tangible ways! I rejoice in knowing: God loves me, Jesus wants me to rest in Him, and I can trust that not only will God speak to me, but when He does, I can discern it! I’m eager to continue to obey and listen for Him to see what He would have me do while on this race!
Quick prayer requests:
- Please be praying for my team that we would grow in unity, understanding, respect for each other, and caring for one another deeply.
- Please pray for my squad that as we prepare for a month apart, we would be encouraged in our teams and effective at all our ministries.
- Please pray that the finances would come in for me and all my squadmates. I’m only about $1200 short of my goal!!
- Please pray for me that I would be obedient to walk in courage, be assertive, be flexible, and especially to not fear.
Thank you again for your support in my life!
In His Grip,
Sarah
