Watching "The Amazing Race" was a family affair. Even though I've always been TERRIBLE with directions...and being on time...and not forgetting things, I always secretly hoped that if my dad really decided to try out for the show, that he would choose me as his partner. After all, my sister wasn't so good at compromise and my brother didn't really seem to be as in to the show as the rest of us. I thought for sure that my adventurous heart and my "easy going" nature (how jaded I was about myself!) would make me the number one choice in my dad's eyes.
Well my childhood dreams have come true! My Father has chosen me and an amazing race it will be, but not the kind shown on television. Not the kind with built in checkpoints where you receive your money, clues, travel and sleeping arrangements, and the freedom to choose your route for the next leg. This is a race my heavenly Father has called me to. A race with a chance to love, serve, pray, worship, work, disciple, give, teach, and lead. A race to change lives. A race to change me. A race to know Him. 11 months. 11 countries: Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda. A chance for life change. A chance for love change.
There are so many "impossible" things that threaten to hold me back. So many "what ifs/what abouts" from people around me. "What about your new house?" It'll be here. "What about Slim Dog?" She has always been pretty independent...she can take care of herself ;) "What about your job?" There will never be a shortage of struggling kiddos that need extra help. I may not have the same job, but I trust the Lord to provide. "What about your bills?" What bills? I'm selling my car, so no payments or insurance..so I'm good to go there! "What about Jeff?" I broke my commitment to God to pursue a relationship with him that I thought I was ready for. I'm figuring out now, that the Lord told me to wait before (I disobeyed) and now He is telling me to wait again. "You just received National Board Certification after all of that hard work, how could you walk away from that much money?" I'll miss out on one year of the stipend...what is one year? All of the questions that everyone, including myself, continue to ask all make this experience sound impossible to pull off. Impossible is just God's cup of tea.
God has been setting things up for this mission quite nicely. Here is a quick rundown of the Lord's handiwork: applied and was not accepted to grad school at CIU (I would have never left in the middle of grad school), wrecked and totaled my car one payment shy of paying it off (teaching me that I should not store up my treasures on Earth) which makes selling the car I drive now to pay for the mission an absolute non issue, National Board Certification (helps tie up some of the financial loose ends for the trip), and I'm sure there are more revelations to come over the next several months.
God is good. God is in control. And God has called me to meet him on an amazing race he has prepared for me. I will lose the direction that the world sees as reasonable. I will be late on the world's expectations of marriage, kids, career, etc. And I will forget all that the world has taught me and focus on what He wants to teach me. I AM the number one choice in my Father's eyes.
Romans 5: 3-4 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
.JPG)
