Offering
My 9-month journey with World Race has officially begun! God has answered so many of my prayers. As I look back at my life, I’m filled with so much gratitude for the ways that He’s worked all things together for my good.
On August 28th, I arrived in Gainesville, Georgia to begin training for this next season. Because I did a semester with World Race back in January, this was actually my second training camp. My squad consists of 36 racers, 5 squad leaders, 2 mentors, Caroline and Banks, as well as their sweet baby, Linny. We’ve been divided into smaller teams, and I’m on a team of six led by our lovely leader, Carlee!
Our days began with morning devotions and continued with sessions from guest speakers, scenarios, and team-building activities. We’ve slept in tents, taken bucket showers, done all our laundry by hand, and had so many conversations. Some were deep and vulnerable, while others were filled with so much laughter and the kind of delirious silliness that comes from spending long days together.
One thing I noticed early on was how much more naturally I was able to share my testimony. During my first training camp, I remember feeling so much anxiety around sharing my story. This time, I felt a freedom that I didn’t have before, and it’s been so beautiful to see the Lord continuing to grow me in areas that once felt so difficult!
More than anything, I’ve been so grateful for the community!! There is something deeply encouraging about being surrounded by people who genuinely desire Jesus above everything else. I didn’t realize how much I had missed (and needed) that kind of close fellowship until I experienced it again!
At the same time, camp has stretched me in a lot of ways. I’ve been pushed outside of what is comfortable and familiar, which I know is part of the preparation for the months ahead.
Offering All I Have
On September 5th, we left Gainesville and traveled to Adrian, Georgia, where we spent the week at Camp Adrian. Our squad joined two other squads and the Adventures in Missions Disaster Relief team to help restore the camp. My team was assigned to the kids’ ministry. Several families on the Disaster Relief team had young children, so our role was to care for the kids while their parents and the rest of the teams worked.
At first, I was truly excited. I love kids, and working with them has been a significant part of my life for years. However, within a few days, I realized that I was more tired of working with kids than I wanted to admit. After a summer of nannying, babysitting, and working with children at my job, I was burnt out.
At the end of each day, I would see people from my squad covered in sweat and dirt from the work they had done. They had cut down trees, trimmed bushes, painted, and accomplished very visible things. I found myself wishing I could point to something tangible. As I prayed through that, I realized that the issue wasn’t really the work itself. I desired to find significance in what I could accomplish.
I have always been someone who likes to be productive. I like knowing that I’ve done something well and being able to see the result of my work. The truth is, though, that productivity can quietly become a measure of worth. I believed that if I was doing something meaningful, then I was meaningful.
I’ve been convicted of how easily my attention turns inward, toward what I’m doing, how I’m perceived, whether I’m accomplishing enough, and whether I feel like I’m doing a “good job.” I want to become more aware of those tendencies and be quicker to turn my attention back to Jesus!
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 describes the Church as one body made up of many different parts. Each part has a different function, but every part is necessary.
The Lord has revealed to me that faithfulness is not always impressive or visible. Sometimes obedience looks like doing something unfamiliar, but other times it looks like doing something ordinary that no one else will ever see.
What matters is not whether my work looks significant to other people, but whether I am offering what I have to the Lord.
I want to learn to give God my best, not because I need to prove myself to Him or to anyone else, but because He is so worthy of it!! Whether I am doing something that feels important or something that feels completely insignificant, I want to be able to say that I did it for His glory!
Leaving for Jamaica
We returned to base in Gainesville yesterday, and we only have a few days left in the States before we leave for Jamaica on September 17th.
It’s hard to believe that after all the preparation, this season is actually beginning, and that I will be gone for so long. There is still so much I don’t know about what the next nine months will hold, but I’m praying that the Lord would continue to make me more surrendered, more willing, and more interruptible. That I would be willing to lay down my own expectations of what ministry should look like and simply follow Him wherever He leads. He is such a good Father, and He cares enough about my heart to keep refining it!!
If the Lord puts it on your heart, I would love for you to take a moment and pray over the health of our squad. Many of us have come down with some kind of cold or illness this past week, and there have already been several ER visits. Please pray that we would stand firm in the Lord and not be shaken by what we’re facing. Pray that we would draw near to the Lord, anchor ourselves in truth, and remain steadfast in faith. Psalm 91 reminds us that we can dwell in the shelter of the Most High and find refuge under His wings!
Thank you for your prayers and for following along with this journey! I’m hoping to continue updating my journal every other week, and if you would like to see pictures, our squad's Instagram is @s.squadunited.
