I am currently at the airport waiting for our first flight of the Race to Guatemala. Many people have asked me what I am most excited about on the Race. And I always say that I am just excited to leave the US for the first time and dive into the experience of other countries and cultures. But everyone that I hug, pray for, heal, meet, listen to, work with, encourage, lead, etc., will be the exact reason that I decided to do this. Everything else that I see, taste, smell, jump off of, dig, prepare, swim in, work on, etc., will be a blessed bonus.
This last week at launch has consisted of many things. It first began with a crash course on two things: the workings of cinematography and that of a camera to create the best possible picture that we can, and the definition of a story, how to tell a one, and how to recognize a good one when you hear it. Each team was given a camera bag consisting of amazing items such as a videocamera, macbook, hard drive, microphones, tripod, and GoPro to help us tell our stories with the proper white balance and ISO. We had hands on workshops to help us learn as quickly as possible to and to know when it was applicable to situations and stories.
There was a lot of information being laid out in front of us, but the basics of a story can be slimmed down to one small definition. “A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. (Donald Miller)” We were trained to recognize a good story when we hear one and to interview the person who wants to share. On the other side, we were taught to tell a good story from our own lives, and what decisions we can make to tell our story in a more exciting way.
So in my story, I am the character (obviously) and I have to want something. So what is it that I want? I want to transform myself into a person that trusts the Lord with everything in my life, and through that, be aware of the world that He created and what He calls us to do in countless scriptures to help those who are in need. Through my transformation, I want to transform the lives of those around me by helping them in all of their needs and to bring the hope of Jesus into their lives.
The conflict that I need to overcome? Well, I think that is obvious as well. This whole year will bring ups and downs, mountains and valleys, obstacles and the joy of overcoming them! It is going to be so exciting, scary, wonderful, transformative, courageous, daunting, repetitive. I could go on and on, but instead I will share my stories with you all as they come.
Lastly, I want to thank all my donors and support for everything you have done for me. I would not be where I am now (waiting to board a plane to Guatemala) without all of you. And for that, I am truly grateful. Thank you!
I will catch ya’ll (I think I may have been in the South for too long) on the flip side!
God Bless <><
XX
