Adventures with Adventures
See what I did there??
I thought traveling the globe would be where the adventure would end, but He had this up His sleeve the whole time.
You know how at the end of the year, you take time to reflect on January through the present?
Maybe you don’t even intentionally reflect, but I guarantee you, you know what I’m talking about…
It’s been one month.
It’s been one month since I packed my life into my 4 door (new. beautiful.) car and moved to Gainesville to work for Adventures in Missions.
It still has not fully sunk in.
When I think about the past month and all that has happened, it feels like a year’s worth of blessings.
For the first two weeks, I had nowhere to live. I was temporarily staying with a couple leaders from my Race, and searching high and low for any opportunities for roommates and four walls to call home.
A few (not super ideal) options came to pass, but each time I heard God say “wait.” Whether it cost a little out of my price range, or the distance was farther than I would prefer – all options I would have gladly make work if it came to it, God had something different in mind.
It was the beginning of my 3rd week in Gainesville, I was on the phone with a friend and she asked “so, have you found a place yet?” The answer was “no,” and she looked at me, fear in her eyes and I immediately began to doubt God’s “wait” and thoughts of living out of my car for months at a time began to flood my mind.
After our conversation, I hung up the phone, and one of my leaders sat down and began to explain how she had an offer to live with a different family, and therefore her spot in the house would be up for rent. I literally moved my belongings no more than a foot and by week 3 I had a home.
This home has a backyard full of a forest that surrounds Lake Lanier.
This home is the home of one of the most compassionate women who roam the earth; she also works with our Parent Relations. (If you have children interested in going on the Race, she’ll be your bff. Just ask my mom.)
This home is the home to my squad mentor. And if you ever asked the question “who impacted you the most on your race?” You know whom I’m talking about. She is an incredible evangelist who loves deeply, and I learn so much from her everyday.
This is the home to my literal roommate, who lives holistically and encourages me to do the same. Just in the month of getting to know her, she has shown me what it looks like to pursue Jesus, and pursue the people He loves deeply.
In other words, Papa is spoiling me this season. Big time.
I love the job. I get to send racers out onto the field, step them through fundraising and all the big tasks that can seem and feel daunting in order for them to pursue their God-dreams and build the Kingdom.
That’s my job description. Are you kidding me? A dream.
Before I even applied to the race, I stumbled upon the 5 digits on the screen that I would need to fundraise for. In that moment I prayed “God, if this is something You want me to do, You’re going to have to make fundraising fun, and make me want to do the hard stuff. Because if You don’t, this won’t happen.”
He answered.
Then 2 years later He gave me a job where I get to help people pray the same prayer I did, and watch His faithfulness pour out over and over again with each participant I send off.
I laugh.
Halfway through my race, I realized that I was living my biggest dream. There was a daunting moment of “what happens next?”
I remember praying “God, you’re going to have to help me dream, because I got nothin’ after this.”
He warned me not to put Him in a box, and then one year later, this job fell into my lap. Quite literally.
So, here we are.
It’s been quite a month. Ups and lots of downs. Questions if I made the right move, literally and figuratively. For many reasons.
But now, I type these words, and it all makes so much sense.
I’m doing something way, way bigger than me.
Which is what He wanted anyway.
