Hello hey friends!
I am officiallly a week out from leaving for the World Race! A brand new season! That comes with a lot of feelings, to-do lists, packing, fundraising, goodbyes, and excitement. Basically a roller coaster of emotions! There are a couple things I want to chat about with you in this blog. I want to share some exciting things, tell you what the Lord is teaching me, and talk about some things happening in my life. Also, I want to be able to look back on my journey, and the couple weeks before I leave are definitely worth remembering!
Let’s talk about fundraising! Wow, what a journey fund/support raising is! In the very beginning, when I was first joining the WRGY, my leaders told me that I would have to put in the work and spread the word, but I would have the joy of just watching the Lord provide. Boy, were they right. The Lord is abundant. Yes, I sent some support letters and got the word out there, but the Lord really provided. Some prayers were seriously answered! Just a couple days ago I got the last donation that got me fully funded! (plus a lil! wow God!) I am feeling really really grateful.
Preparing and packing for the World Race should be an Olympic sport! I mean you wouldn’t believe all the things you use in a 9 month time span. I think I took for granted before everything I use in a day. SO many amazon orders and Walmart runs. Not to mention the packing lists sent in from different racers/alumni just to be sure you didn’t miss anything. There have been times where I lay out all the things that I want to take and just stand there and simply stare. Just contemplating how this mound of (very needed) stuff is going to fit in a pack on my back. It can for sure be overwhelming at times. But I think there is a valuable lesson to be learned through all of it.
Pairing down is a hard game for me. “Stuff” has always been a comfort to me. I guess you could say this has been a learning experience for me. Sometimes following Jesus means abandonment. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Truthfully, my stuff is not going to last. It may make me happy for the meantime, but it will not bring me joy like Jesus does. Now, I am not saying that I won’t need anything on this trip. I need clothes to wear, and I need toothpaste. But I find myself putting more weight on the things that I have and the stuff that I love rather than my Savior. Yes, its great to have stuff you love and I will bring the things I need, but that should not be above Jesus. Truly if I put Jesus in the center, I will have what I need. Not the other way around. (Psalms 23:1) I believe this is going to be something I am going to continue to learn and grow through in the next year. Packing and preparing for the Race is a journey in and of itself and I am learning lots so far!
Through all the excitement and nervousness, God has been teaching me to ground myself in Him first and foremost. To center my heart on His calling for me and to focus on why I am going on this trip. It can be so easy to get all wrapped up in the preparing aspect that I can forget my “WHY” that is behind me going on the Race (scroll up on my page to find my blog about my “WHY”). It has been a sweet reminder to me that God is my rock through it all. I could talk a lot about this subject but I’m going to keep it as simple as that because those are the words that the Lord gave me. 🙂
I want to share some fun fun news with you now! With Covid, things change. And that is something we are all learning to deal with. But some change is exciting and that is something I’m learing! Instead of Costa Rica being our first stop,we will be going to sweet Romania first! That means Christmas in Romania with my new fam. If that dosen’t mean a lot to you, ( I totally understand!) I am going to put a couple pictures down here to help you see just how exciting that is!! vvv
Tell me that does not look like those dreamy ceramic villages you put out as decoration at Christmas! Needless to say, I am giddy to travel to Romania. Not just for Christmas, I am genuinely so excited to meet new people, serve, and experience a their culture! We leave November 5th after about six weeks at training camp in GA! If everything goes as planned, we will still be visiting Costa and Cambodia! (I want to be sure to give the other two countries as much credit as Romania because they are also so beautiful and unique!)
I also just want to mention how thankful I am for my sweet friends and fam who have been so supportive and helpful and kind. My grandparents who check up on me often, my sister who is putting in some serious effort to help me pack, my mom who is constantly running errands with me to get evreything done, my fam just spending time with me 🙂 and my besties who are simply there and present and who are super lovley. My heart has been so full recently and sometimes it overflows a lil in my eyeballs <3
A week out and excited as can be! (with a few other feelings mixed in ;)) I am thankful for this season that is ending and the new one I am about to step into. Thank you for following along, you are so appreciated!
Much love,
Olivia
