Trading Up
Three Months.
That’s how long it has been since I returned home from The World Race. So much has happened since I first began the daunting reality of “re-entry.”
It certainly didn’t look exactly like I thought it would. I kept waiting for that moment that I would loose my cool in a grocery store or have a break down sitting alone in a quiet restaurant with dozens of options on a menu that I could actually read. I thought I would freak out about how much extra space there was in my bed now that I don’t live with 54 roommates. Although all of these things happened, it was my reaction to them that surprised me most. It actually felt as normal as it ever did.
During our month 8 debrief, our squad coaches began speaking to us about the challenges that we would face as we abandon this lifestyle consumed by wanderlust and being present with the Lord as we seek His heart everyday. To be honest, this terrified me.
I mean, how do you go from spending your days intentionally asking the Lord for his direction and then being fully dependent on him to show up and provide the strength to accomplish His tasks to going back and doing things the way you used to?
You don’t!
You see, The World Race isn’t about “doing your time” serving Jesus, so you can come back home and forget what it felt like to be in close relationship with Him.
It isn’t about adding stamps to your passport of checking another country (or 11) off your list.
The World Race is about being wrecked for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Consider me Wrecked!
There are so many emotions to entertain when you realize that you are unsatisfied with a life committed to anything less than Jesus’ call for you. The past 3 months have been filled with countless hours seeking the Father’s direction and making sure that I do not take a single step without him saying so.
In his amazing book Love Does, Bob Goff describes a game he played as a child, Bigger and Better. “In this game, everybody starts with something of little value, like a dime, and then everybody heads out into the neighborhood to see what they can trade it for. The goal is to come back with a bigger, better thing than you started out with.”
A little over a year ago, I left behind a good life and entered a journey with the Lord that has forever changed my existence. He never promised it would be easy. He doesn’t always call us to what is easy. We’ve all given up something at one time or another. At first, it feels like a huge sacrifice; in the end, the Lord’s plan is always best.
I just spent the last year travelling the globe and traded up for bigger and better. The Lord has called me to leave home once again but am I ready to live radically for the gospel again? Am I willing to trade up for what He says is better?
Absolutely!
So here I go again.
I am continuing on my journey with Jesus … This time to Georgia.
In a few short months, I will be moving to Gainesville, Georgia to work with Adventures in Missions (AIM), the organization that I have been serving with this past year.
AIM is an organization that offers mission trips designed to engage and challenge participants to meet God in new ways, to rethink their views about the world they live in, and who God created them to be. I believe that AIM is making a huge impact on the Kingdom and God is calling me to partner with AIM here in the states.
While serving at their headquarters in Georgia I will be a part of the Logistics team, which is responsible for the intricate details that make it possible for a World Race squad to travel around the world. In addition, I will be heading up the planning for training camps and launches for over 700 radical world changers who are committed to bringing Jesus’ Kingdom here on earth. I am so excited about it but I will need your prayers and support to provide for his new journey.
AIM is a non-profit and its entire staff is support raised. I will receive a minimal monthly stipend, but I am also required to raise approximately half of my salary. I have a support-raising goal of $1500 per month. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with me in monthly giving to help me continue to serve as a stateside missionary.
If you are able to continue on this journey with me, click HERE to Support Me! or click HERE take a look at the partnership guide and let’s continue to trade up for what promises to be bigger and better.
To find out what you can be in prayer about click HERE.
Thank you once again so much for your continued prayer and financial support. I wish I could hug you through my blog to try to communicate just a fraction of how blessed I am by you. I pray that God will continue to bless you as you serve him.
