Encourage and equip….. those are the two words that the Lord placed on my heart while I was in Jordan working alongside an organization called +Mais international this past September. During that same month my heart was being stirred up at the thought of applying to lead a new squad once my race was done. There was no doubt that I got excited at the thought of more travel and more experience with the Father’s heart in the type of community that the race provides, but on the other side of that excitement..there was also a certain amount of dread and heartbreak….over being away from family and my dog for another extended amount of time, over not being in a place where I could pursue some of my most loved past times like fly fishing. All this in mind I still knew that as so many times before…The Lord had more in store for me than I could fathom.
So, I finally broke down and began asking the Father what He wanted me to do with this desire I was having to go back out into the world… after talking to Him about it on several occasions, I was a little pissed at Him because He wasn’t giving me a straight answer. I wanted to know for sure that squad leading was in His plan for me before I applied….But as He often does..He asked me the question one night, “Well, what do you want to do?” I then heard Him just say “Hebrews 11″
Not remembering what that passage was about, I flipped open my Bible and quickly realized that He had sent me to the “faith chapter” as I read……
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of the things that are visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3
The chapter then goes on to talk about person after person who by faith did things…Did great things…. I had to laugh a little because again He wasn’t going to tell me yes apply to squad lead. He simply said “Have faith”.
So, I applied and a couple weeks later I was accepted to be a part of an alumni squad leading team walking it out with G SQUAD (January 2018 Expedition route) for the first 5 months of 2018. During the meeting where I found out that I was accepted, I found out that my name had already been on a list of people being prayed over by leadership at AIM. They were seeking the Lord on if the people on the list were supposed to be leading the next squad. It was such a cool thing to see in the real how God had been working on me stoking the fires of my heart for equipping and encouraging this next generation of racers and also working on the other side with AIM leadership.
So after about 4.5 weeks at home in the States, I joined the squad leading team in Gainesville, Ga to prepare to do this thing. I’m so stoked to walk alongside the three other alumni squad leaders that I’m working with this time around. They are all amazing servant leaders who know the Lord’s voice and who walk in a tremendous amount of authority, humility, and love.
To bring you all into the present: I’m currently in Singapore. One of the alumni team leaders with us was denied his Australian visa right before we flew from Los Angeles to Singapore. The rest of the squad went on to the Gold Coast, but the team lead and I stayed here to wait on a visa decision. Since being here we have been so loved by the Lord. Meeting friends and being blessed by them with a meal and great company and conversation. We are living in the abundance that only the Lord can provide. Hopefully by Monday night we will be able to fly to the Gold Coast to reunite with the squad.
I stepped into this season by faith, trusting that the Lord would deepen my understanding of his goodness, use me to love and direct this next generation of millennials who are unashamed of His name, and that He would use me for a mouthpiece to His kids that don’t know who their Daddy is yet. To keep walking this out I need your help and I need your prayers.
Prayer requests:
-The Lord would reveal new pieces of His heart to me that I can give away.
– That I would remain focused on Him in this season and not be distracted.
– That finances would flow in, to fund this season of service.
– That G SQUAD and the people they encounter would grow to know a deep level of the Lord’s grace and love for them.
Donations can be made and blogs can be found at solomanchilders.theworldrace.org
