Hey party people! It’s TRAVEL DAY!
My squad and I are currently only one more day of travel away from Quito, Ecuador, where we will be staying for the next three months of the Race. Right now I’m laying on the floor of the Paris airport, in the middle of a 12 hour layover before one more 12 hour flight. All of this spare time has given me an opportunity to really reflect on my time in South Africa. I decided to type out a list of some of the things I’ve learned over the past three months.
- God is A LOT bigger than I thought
- The world’s opinions will NOT stop me from following the Lord’s call for my life
- Vulnerability is FREAKING IMPORTANT
- It’s okay to wrestle/ask the hard questions. God isn’t scared of them.
- Community living is extremely difficult, but extremely life-giving
- I have a seat at His table, reserved just for me, and I don’t have to work/fight for it.
- I cannot rush the growth that the Father has in store for me.
- It’s cheesy but true: growth begins at the end of your comfort zone.
- Peace is a promise He keeps
- Curiosity invokes pursuit
- If I cling to the familiar and avoid the uncomfortable, I could miss out on what I’m made for.
- Just because I might walk through something completely different from my teammates does not mean I am alone in it.
- Everyone has a different role in the Body of Christ… I learned that my strong suit is nurturing members of the Body that need reminding of the Lord’s faithfulness.
- It’s okay that my strengths are not the same as the person next to me.
- God wants me as I am, even the brokenness. I don’t need to have it all together before He can use me.
- When I don’t spend time with the Lord every day, I can’t love out of an overflow.
- The Lord wants to speak to me. I learned that it’s way easier to converse with Him than I thought.
- God trusts me with His children.
- The only requisite for Resurrection is you have to be dead first… He is resurrecting me.
- If you ask the Lord to break your heart for what breaks His, HE!!! WILL!!!
- Be faithful in the small. Give Him your “yes” even in little ways.
- To bring everything to the Father and ask Him myself, instead of letting my flesh, tradition/habit, or opinions of others decide something for me.
- Sometimes the hardest things you’ll ever do end up being where you thrive the most.
- My faith is always meant to be shared; with a stranger on the street, an uber driver, the person next to me on the plane, friends and family back home, or my teammates… with EVERYONE I possibly can.
- God doesn’t need me, but He invites me to walk alongside Him in building His kingdom.
- Religion and relationship are NOT the same thing.
- He has way more for me than I could have ever planned for myself
- I am a work in progress, but recognizing that is growth in itself.
- I’d give up ANYTHING if it means knowing Him better.
- Before the Lord can build me up to be who He’s made me to be, He has to break down my shallow understanding of Him.
South Africa was jam packed with ups and downs, with laughter and late night tears, and with wrestling and incredible revelations. I can now say with confidence that the uncomfortable aspects of this season were exactly what I needed. I needed to be faced with the hard questions, or else some things would have stayed pushed under the rug. I needed to be thrown into ministry that challenged me, or else I never would have realized why I’m here. Through it all, Jesus was so good and SO faithful. These three months have radically changed me, and it was only the beginning.
I made a quick little video about my time in South Africa, including some words from my team and I about what we have learned. I’d love it if you checked it out below!
My squad in I will be in Quito TOMORROW! Please continue praying for us as we settle in, transition into a new culture, and begin ministry soon!!! See you in Ecuador 🙂
