haven’t you learned?

I really ought to apologize for my lack of blogging lately, as we near the end all my thoughts seem to be preparing for blogs to conclude the race with, making me neglect from sharing you what’s going on in the here and now. That said, we are spending this month in the wonderful city of Odessa, Ukraine, with various engagements in some of the surrounding villages. This past week, we were asked to break out the tents for the first time on the race, and help run a childrens camp. With varying degrees of eagerness, we packed up and set out.

If you happen not to be counting the days until my return to the States, we will be touching down in the US of A in approximately 11 days. CRAZY. With that in mind, all of us here at team NEWLife are certainly eager to get back home, to begin into the new season God has in store for each one of us, and to be reunited with all the friends, family, and comforts that “homeâ€� offers. As we dream of AC, rooms to ourselves, and American cuisine, there were admittedly moments where going out to the middle of the woods, pitching a tent, using a squatty potty, having no electricity, and enjoying a vast assortment of Ukrainian soups, bread, and mayonnaise was not the most appealing option for the week. We all had our moments of frustration, and despite the lingering reality that we ought to be making the most of the little time we had left, quite often we just didn’t want to be there.

But he said to me, “[Tim, I’m serious this time, are you listening yet?] My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.â€� Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor 12:9)

Unless I’ve missed it the 3869 times so far on the Race, God’s power is thankfully made perfect in my weakness. The week of camp was awesome, despite any ounce of our reluctance. The kids were a genuine joy, with an eagerness to serve us and each other that surely humbled me more than I could’ve anticipated. We were blessed by some amazing translators to spend the week with (shout out to Kate, Marina, and Timothy!), who were obviously our only contact with the world around us, but also blew us away with their contributions to the programs and incredible servant hearts. We helped to teach some English, shared testimonies, and made fools of ourselves in skits and games (if anybody is familiar with the doctor waiting room skit, you’ll be glad to know it’s made its appearance in yet another country). Team America took the gold in a friendly volleyball tournament, and the frisbee got some definite airtime. Each day I could stand, overlooking a gorgeous panorama of the Ukrainian countryside, seeing the uninterrupted path of the sun cross from your right to your left, as God’s consistent reminder of His persistent grace that He shines upon me. Overall, a great week – I came out exhausted, but with a smile on my face and worship on my lips.

God’s plans and His purposes are perfect, and it is precisely those moments when those purposes contradict my desires that He is somehow made all the more glorious for it. We were taken out for a week, taken to a place without the comforts we longed for, taken to a place where we had to depend on the Lord for enthusiasm, when we didn’t want to be there; energy, when these kids insisted on staying up until 2am with our staff bible study at 7am; and sustenance, when that bowl of soup and mayonnaise just wasn’t giving you what your body really wanted. We were forced to unplug from the world that we will be re-entering in just a few days, to drag our eyes off of what’s next back to what God is doing in the moment. We are called to serve where we are, and to be obedient to the present calling upon our lives. These are the truths that the World Race is built upon, and I praise God for His grace to keep pressing them into my forgetful mind to the last moment I’m out here. Thank God He knows what I need, even when it might not be what I want.