Dont Expect It,.

The funny thing is the world race teaches you before you launch to leave and have no expectations. Don’t expect for your route to be the same, don’t expect to have incredible contacts every month, don’t expect to stay healthy and never get sick, don’t expect the food to be absolutely delicious, don’t expect for ministry to be what you’ve always dreamed of, don’t expect that youll be able to be independent, and really don’t expect to have any alone time.

Coming onto the race though I had a few expectations of what it would look like, really I had no idea I was basing all my expectations off my time in Armenia and past missions trips.

I expected my biggest struggle to be bugs

I expected to be working with orphans everyday

I expected it would be easy to love everyone

I expected to fall in love with every country and contact and you would have to drag me to the next country

I expected I would go to S. Africa and Swaziland and work with HIV/AID victims

These are just some of the expectations I left with on October 2^nd 2010.

I should of listened when they said not to have expectations because let me tell you this race has been nothing like I expected. I have been stretched so far I didn’t think I could do it anymore, I have been strengthened, I have been weak and sick and I have been strong and healthy. My route has changed completely, I have felt alone and confused at times, I have asked many questions and found many things out for my own. I seek truth in what I believe and what the Bible says not what others say. I really haven’t struggled with bugs just a few big ones here and there, I have yet to be in an orphanage and spend more than three hours with orphans, some days you feel like you just cant love any more, some countries will be harder than others, you will do things you don’t want to, and you will get frustrated with contacts because the language barrier. But I can promise you that God will exceed all your expectations you ‘don’t have’

The Lord has taught me how to love in many different ways, everyone needs and receives love differently, some people it may be through words, others gifts, and some you just have to break down their walls because they may not want your love so you are pushed to love through kindness even when it may be easy not to.

We have seen a woman healed of cancer, a man who couldn’t see; cry and his eyes open up, children protected in a fire, a woman who we prayed to have a child bore a beautiful baby boy after we left, hundreds of children and adults from all different backgrounds and religions come to accept Jesus, weve become family with strangers, we’ve seen churches start and be fruitful, we’ve seen young boys no longer be addicted to thinner, we’ve seen woman leave bars, and youth be the revival for their community.

God is good and wants to show you how big and mighty he is and we just have to allow it, we have to trust in him, have faith, and believe even though we may not see a miracle while with a person praying for them but God doesn’t stop when we leave and he has a timing that is better than ours and he can still bring healing once we are gone. We can’t have a limit on God though or have expectations for Him because he already has his own plan.