I’ve had a lot of people ask me over the last few weeks what the preparation process for The World Race has been like so I thought I would write all of my experiences down so far! Going into this season of in-betweens I’d say that I mostly felt apprehensive. Along with preparing for my upcoming journey I’ve had a lot of change. Quitting my job and getting a new one, helping my parents move out of my childhood home in Illinois into a new beginning for them in Tennessee, moving out myself and later this month moving into a new place, learning how to invest in my community now that I’ve moved away from it and learning how to still be a missionary in Lexington even though I’ve technically left my job in college ministry. It has been a beautiful mess of a month and I’d like to say that I’ve handled it all without any hiccups but how often does that happen, right? I‘ve hit walls and have been stopped in my tracks on more than one occasion. I‘ve been excited and anxious and overjoyed and down right scared out of my mind. But in the midst of all the chaos, God always brings be back to this verse.
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
And I’m reminded again and again that in the middle of the chaos, God is my rock and my redeemer. Because despite all of the mess, it has been beautiful. I‘ve seen friendships deepen despite distance, prayers answered in excess, and my expectations of generosity exceeded. Despite leaving CSF, my passion and involvement in international missions has only grown stronger. I’ve been blessed beyond measure with a church family that pours into me and wants me to use my gifts to pour back. I’ve had people I don‘t even know support me financially just because God told them to and I’ve had people who I love give thousands of dollars to further Gods plan for my life. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been brought to tears by the love and generosity of God in the last month and by the love and generosity of the people around me (of you!). God is building my trust in Him and teaching me to dream harder, love deeper, go further and to always seek more than I expect. I don’t know what these next 6 months of preparation will be like but if they are anything like this month I will be overjoyed.
Thank you for reading and for being a part of my journey!
