We leave for the States today… I’m in a bit of denial, not gonna lie.
Since we are “officially done”, I figured I would write down where I’m at, and a bunch of things that summarize my Race.
During this year, I grew in three major areas. I know that other growth has been made, but these are the three main ones.
First, I have grown in showing and acknowledging how I think and feel in situations. As a logical mind, oldest child, and a stage manager, I learned for most of my life to hold my feelings inside. I never really got to share what I was thinking and feeling because others would jump to it first, and I love others to feel heard and comfortable.
Second, I have grown in patience and contentment. At the beginning of the Race, I always needed to be doing something. I could never sit still and just be there. Now I can just be for a couple hours if necessary, and I can truly focus on the person sitting next to me who needs my attention.
Third, I am learning how to truly recognize and understand how people need to be loved in each moment, instead of thinking I know what they need from past experiences with them.
I also had an interesting cycle through my year, relating to discipleship. With my first team, Team Lift, I learned to see who I am and how I feel. With my second team, Palpable Presence, I learned to see who God is and who I am in him. With my third team, Full Throttle, I started learning how to voice who I am and who God is in my life. With my last team, Rafiki, I began learning how to help others discover who they are and who God is.
So what’s next now that I am headed home? God has reminded me of my true purpose in life, which is discipleship. I have spent this year learning to be a disciple of God (I’m still learning), and the last couple months God is pushing me to disciple others and those right near me in my life at home with my friends and family. Istanbul is still on my mind, but it’s becoming just the location for me to live out my call to disciple. When I land in the States, I begin learning how to disciple others through living life with them, not just having conversations with them.
Done! Sort of. Not really. I simply have a new location and new people to love and about which to learn.
#GodIsInControl #redefiningdisciple
#THIRD
