Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God’s love be with you
– from “Space Oddity” sung by David Bowie
My church gave me a book to read towards the end of the World Race entitled Re-Entry by Peter Jordan of Youth With a Mission (YWAM). He begins the book by analogizing re-entry from the missions field to home to the landing of a space shuttle from outer space back to earth. This June is the final month of the World Race for the August 2009 Squads; here are some thoughts from two women as the squads begin their descent into the atmosphere.
Birkleigh Foreman shares what she’s learned about herself, the world and God, these are just some snippets (emphases added):
I need Jesus much more than I ever think I do / I want to be patient, but I don’t want to experience waiting / People are beautiful / Traveling is not glamorous / God heals / There is power in forgiveness / I can sleep anywhere / I can eat a lot of peanut butter. . . / God is faithful even when I am not / Dancing is a universal language / Being adventurous with food isn’t always exciting / God trusts me. . . / I want to keep asking God for big things. . . / Giving feels good / I can walk in purity / How I love people is how I love God / There is a miracle everyday waiting for me. . . / I can survive any bad smell / The poor are really rich in heaven / I can learn from anyone, if I humble myself. . . / Worshipping is a lifestyle. . . / I can survive without a lot of luxuries / My dreams are precious to God / God is unpredictable, and I like it. . . / Talking about my bodily functions isn’t awkward or weird at the dinner table. . . / People will let me down / Intimacy requires risk and letting people close enough to give them permission to hurt you. . . / Submission is desirable on both ends / Being a good follower is better than seeking a title. . . / God made my heart too big for my body. . ./ I can save someone’s life everyday by speaking truth. . . / I’m passionate about God’s dreams and living them here on earth
Julia Luu offers a treasure store of wisdom she’s gleaned from her eleven months; here’s a sampling:
- The biggest lesson that I can walk away with [from] the Race is experiencing the bible coming to life. Everything that Jesus taught about healing the sick and casting out demons can and do happen today! Prior to the race, I read all that but it was not a lifestyle that I lived and it was something that I didn’t think happened at this age and time. Everything that Jesus taught is alive and real right now, we just have to go after it. I’ve had the privilege to see all these first hand this year. It wasn’t scary, it was just indescribably amazing. . .
- I’ve learned that you can communicate with a person without speaking the same language because you can always show love in other ways than speech.
- I have a new found respect for long term missionaries and I have learned . . . about being intentional to maintain constant communication with them as a way to support them. This is something that you only realize and learn while being on the field for an extended time. I have on many occasions felt that I have been “out of sight, out of mind”, even from the dearest of friends and supporters. It’s in those times that I reach out and depend on God that He will carry me through the loneliness, even in the midst of community. . .
- Even in the most difficult days on the Race, I look back and I realize that it is still better than living a life of routine and comfort. . .
We leave the U.S. with fifty pounds of clothes and gear in a big pack and a small pack but return with so much more; what will you carry back with you? There’s something out there that you can get only if you get up and get out there. . .
