Surprise! We found internet in Lesotho! This is a huge praise because at the end of this month is the deadline for raising the remaining $5000 I need to complete the Race. I will be taking this time to reach out to specific people to ask for support, but if you happen to have friends or family who you think would like to support me in my journey, please direct them to this blog post. Thank you!
I want to take the time to give a testimony of what being on the World Race has done for me in just 5 months. At this halfway point I find myself extremely encouraged and excited about life with Christ; unlike any other time in my life. Yes, there have been growth spurts in my life which gave me a taste of what was to come, but never so real and such tangible freedom and joy in Christ in the midst of hard work and stretching. This World Race thing is not a joke, a vacation, or a fun getaway from “real life” where you can live life without responsibility or accountability. No. I would say the World Race more akin to a battleground. There, to help you in the fight, you are given a squad of rag-tag, broken individuals from all walks of life, with all kinds of history, quirks, and baggage to deal with. Through daily exercises with each other, battles with the Enemy, and rescue missions where you shelter others from the pains of the War, you grow together with your fellow warriors, dealing with that baggage hand-in-hand with God. You become a family. We all know families are not without drama, but through it all we make continual decisions to live for Christ, and every negative situation propels us forward in our walks with Him as we allow Him precedence. Secrecy is shattered in the face of the intimacy this constant struggle together creates. When you’ve been through it several times with people, cried together, prayed together, sweated together, and fought to help one another look like Christ on a daily basis, something glorious happens. It looks a lot like heaven! We have people from Swaziland, South Korea, the U.S., and England on our squad, and we are learning from one another in a dynamic way. The universal Church and Kingdom of God is expanded in our minds. A network of Christ-like-minded individuals from all corners of the world has been formed, and is being reinforced. People are learning and growing in their spiritual giftings and beginning a vital search for their calling in life. We are growing in character and love for God, which transforms us into people who love people well; even those who can’t love us back. Especially them! We are hearing from God like never before, willing to say yes like never before, inspired by God like never before, and alive and aware of the true meaning of the freedom and sonship we found in Christ.
Personally, I have been able to air out past grievances, pains, and secrets in my life which caused me to live life with a severe limp. I had no idea of the severity of the limp until I began to do life intentionally with the people God provided me on the Race. Don’t miss that; I believe God hand-picked the people who surround me on this leg of life. They repeatedly spoke truth over me, dispelled the lies I had believed, pointed me to Christ, prayed for me, and when I felt like God would not want to embrace me, let alone another human, they surrounded me and were the physical manifestation of God’s love for me. When I felt I could not walk, they strengthened my knees, and when I felt like my hands would fall, they were there to support them until I regained my confidence. Like the standard God raises against the enemy when he comes in like a flood, they are there in my weakest moments to shine God’s love. I am learning to depend on them more and more, breaking me from the solitary way of life I had lived before when I believed that nobody could love me, or accept me for me. This all might sound like some sappy hogwash to some, but can I tell you how much confidence in Christ this has given me? I have no idea what I will even do when I get off the Race, but I am so confident in God’s ability to direct me where He wants me to go, and my ability to hear His voice and obey, no matter what. I am learning what it means to be a loved child of His, and to do life with Him, instead of just for Him out of my own efforts. This is a partnership, and in my 32nd year of life, I feel ridiculously blessed to know the real way of life He planned for us as opposed to the lies I believed in the past. I could thrive anywhere because of the resting place and internal joy I am growing to find more and more in Christ. This is the authentic Christian life I have been searching for. Let me tell you it is extremely challenging, but even more so, rewarding! God is good!
Now, as always, I need your support to continue this journey. I believe God has more for me than the past 5 months, and that I will complete my Race by being fully funded. I don’t know where it will come from, but I am more than confident that it is coming. If you feel led to give, please do so by clicking the link to you left or to the top of this page which says “Support Me” . If not, please pray for my journey. Whenever God is up to something, the enemy is always out to mess things up. Two days ago God reminded me of the prayers others had prayed for me to get to this point and it was like I could feel each sacrifice of time spent lifting me up. It is such a precious gift to know there have been people lifting me to the Father! Thank you for you continued support, whether monetary, prayer, or both. I am so blessed by you, and I pray that you are blessed by my journey as I continue to finish my Race strong!
