Though I do not know what the future holds, something that I've come to find over the course of the past few years is that I'm less concerned about the what, where, and how, and instead much more interested in the who. In other words I've seen that more than anything it is the people that you surround yourself with that really matters in the end, because having the dream job in the most amazing place in the world with people who make you miserable or even simply a total lack of real community seems to lead to a rather empty life.
Having gone through this journey all alone would have been a completely different experience, and I believe it would not have brought me to the place that I find myself today. Looking back even before the World Race, during my time college it was the various family members, friends, professors, supervisors, and mentors that I was blessed to share life with, that really made the difference. In the same way during the past eleven months, without those who were on my teams and squad as a whole, the various ministry contacts, and the other countless people that I've met along the way, this journey would have been rather meaningless.
Throughout my time traveling the world this past year, what I'm constantly reminded of is how blessed I am to have the people in my life that I do. Turns out not everyone’s parents are as loving and supportive as my own, not to mention those who don't even know who their parents even are.(which unfortunately is many children around the world.) Without many of you who have supported me financially, in prayer, and through investing in my life in many other ways throughout the years, it is safe to say I would have not had this opportunity.
So while I may not know to what or where exactly the Lord is leading me to next, I do know that I am not alone, and though the World Race has come to end, that is not to say it is an end to community, nor does it mean an end to striving to live a fuller life, a life filled with growth in faith, the desire to serve others, and even some random adventures along the way.
In the same way I found community among those of Y squad, I hope to seek out community wherever I end up next. Knowing full well that community is not something that simply shows up, community is something that has to be sought out, it is something that has to be cultivated, and it is something that has to be fought for. I've been given a glimpse into what that looks like throughout the past eleven months, but I don't want to spend this time wishing for what was, I want to find out what it is that God has for me right now.
