What are 5 things I have learned from the Race?
Never put God in a box:
There is no right way to have a relationship with the Lord. It’s you and the Lord and no one else, so make this relationship the best fit for you and HIM. It could look like going to church once a week and journaling everyday. It could also look like singing and dancing in a park worshiping the Lord, drawing pictures, and asking for prophetic words. I was so scared in the beginning that I wouldn’t fit the “missionary mold” but I realized there is no mold.
Community is crucial:
Living with people 24/7 can be very stressful at times but it also taught me what a community can look like. Living in true community looks like being honest, vulnerable, and open with one another. Community on the Race looks like giving each other positive and growth feedback. Having a community that is willing to give you growth feedback helps you move towards Christ made you to be!
It’s not about time, it’s about friendships:
A lot of people around the world value friendships more than time. They would rather talk to their neighbor for five more minutes and be only 4 minutes early to something ( or 30 minutes late) so that they could value the friendship they have made. I have learned to value a friendship or relationship with the time that is truly needed.
Everyone sells themselves way too short:
Do you believe that you are stuck doing something that is not want you do, or are truly passionate about and feel that there is no way out? Wrong, the Lord has far greater things for you than you think you can do or achieve. There is no limit to what you can do. So step out in faith knowing that the Lord is guiding you with his hand on your back!
Healing is possible:
Healing of the heart or of the body is possible with HIM! I have seen healing in people around the world, on my squad, teammates, and myself that have experienced healing. Healing of the heart can only happen if you are vulnerable. Healing of the body can happen too. You just need to trust in him and HIS timing!
Overall, this year has been a year of laughter, joy, hardship, self actualization, crying, sadness, frustration, miracles, and many things I can’t put into words. I have sat in small shacks with old women who can’t move from the floor because they have broken limbs. These women though, are so joyful even in the circumstances they are in. I have ridden elephants in Thailand, bungee jumped, went on a Safari, tented on mountains and beaches, and so much more. These experiences were amazing but the experiences that I will never forget and that have changed me are the relationships with the people that I have formed in each and every country. The warmth and hospitality they gave us, loving us like their family, was so special for me. I got to dance with them in their homes while laughing together because of the other’s dance moves. I got to sit at the dinner table with them and just be a family even when we couldn’t speak the same language. I was able to love people for who they were and was able to tell them about the Lord. I prayed for people on the streets in the community I was living in. I was able to hang out with kids of all ages and play games. We did not even have to speak the same language to know that we were brothers and sisters. I experienced being with a team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, never being able to leave each other’s side. I listen to them in their worst and best moments. To call each other into greatness and to be completely honest with hard things they have done that have hurt me. To grow together individually and as a team. Leaving this World Race is hard because not only because I am leaving my families all over the world but also leaving my World Race family. We are truly family and I wouldn’t have wanted to do this journey with anyone else. I have learned a lot about myself and have experienced God in ways I would have never imagined.
Thank you for your support!
