changed my life.

I feel as if every blog I post is a testimony of how the race has changed my life, and honestly all my blogs are. Because that is just how much the Lord transforms lives. However, this blog is different. Instead of reflecting on a month or a country, I am reflecting on 6 months full of change. This time I am writing this with 2 weeks left on my race and looking back on every place I’ve been, every person I’ve met and all the sweet moments in between. 

Going on the race, Has given me the opportunity to fully understand who the Lord is & step into what He has for me. And gosh, what a rollercoaster that has been. The race is hard. It is not a relaxing vacation trip. You get dirty. you will smell at some point from lack of shower. You will cry, sad tears & happy ones. you will experience things that most people wouldn’t. Your big pack may get heavier. You will want to drop everything you own. You will eat things that aren’t “normal” to you. You live in a community nonstop, and sometimes that community is 40+ people. The alone time is limited. you will have bug bites galore. & life on the field will get tiresome at moments. You will dream of the things you had back home, & that is OK! You will be living a life that many people won’t even give a try. And with all these things… you WILL have the time of your life. Imagine this: You get 30 new best friends. You see the Lord move like never before. You feel the Holy Spirit in an overwhelming sense. You have the BEST worship nights. Your life will be a nonstop dance party. A non stop praise to our creator. You will have people to go visit in different countries. You’ll have amazing adventures, wacky experiences, and the funniest moments. You will make memories that are worth a lifetime. 

You will be changed.

About a month ago I was talking to my parents on the phone & they said “ well you are about to be home, do you feel like you got what you wanted out of going on the race?” & to answer that question — I got what I wanted & MORE. 

I signed up for the race without a clue of what I was getting myself into. Literally! I had very little knowledge of what the WorldRace was & had no idea “adventures in missions’ ‘ was even a thing. All I know is that I have heard of a “thing” called the WorldRace, the Lord had called me to it, & now I’m going on it. So I really didn’t know what I was doing, but my one hope was that I would be changed. That God would work a miracle in me, and I would go home a different person than I came as. & GOD WORKED. Everything I hoped/ prayed for before the race; God exceeded that. 

I am changed.

The race has changed me in a million little ways, but the biggest one that I have clung so tightly to is that being a follower of Christ is fun.  I want to emphasize that to the masses. I want to scream from the rooftops that following Jesus is SO much fun!

I think that society today makes being a christian or having a relationship with the Lord look like it’s not a fun thing. It makes it look like there are all these “rules” or “standards” that seem impossible to live up to. People follow what sounds appealing, and I get it, living your life walking on eggshells does not sound appealing.

However, God is not uptight. He is fun. Yes, there is a cap on what is pleasing to Him and what isn’t, and there are things that the Lord asks of us. (thats a tangent for a different day) He is called “God” but He is also called a father and we are His children. A Father has to put his children in check sometimes. Parents put rules in place for our better being. A lot of times our parents say things that don’t sound appealing to us, but out of respect, we do them anyway. We do them because we know they want the best for us. Just like our earthly parents want the best for us, so does our Heavenly Father. 

These past six months have been a constant reminder of the many things that the Lord is, and fun is the one adjective that I came into this race oblivious of. Like who knew that surrendering my life to the Lord was going to be a heck of a lot of fun. I sure didn’t and now after experiencing six months of pure joy… I wouldn’t want to go back to a life without Him. 

Just because you have a relationship with Jesus does not mean your life will be mundane. cause let me tell you… a life with the Lord is anything but mundane. It’s a life you don’t want to miss out on. A life full of excitement & adventure. And when you surround yourself with people who are about the same thing there is truly never a dull moment.

Be silly with our Heavenly Father!  

A relationship with Jesus is not a “ shut up, stick your nose in the Bible & listen to His commands” type relationship. It’s fun! It’s exciting! It’s sweet. Ya, it’s hard a lot of the  time. I have walked through things in these six months that I genuinely thought were going to break me, but every single time I am reminded of how fun the Lord is. How even when walking through those hard things, He still adores our smiles. He still wants to dance with us.

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So, if you’re reading this, I want you to know that the Lord intends for us to have fun. We serve a fun God! I imagine Him with a crazy sense of humor. He wants us to laugh out loud. Worship without a care. sing at the top of our lungs and dance til our feet give out. 

I am changed because I have seen what it’s like to fully live in the joy of the Lord. I have danced freely on the mountain tops. I have smiled the biggest squinty-eyed smiles. Laughed until I couldn’t. I have ran, & twirled & jumped with overwhelming excitement. I’ve swam in the bluest water; rolled around in the mud. I have stayed up all night screaming songs at the top of my lungs.

These things make life fun, and He encourages it. A lot of times I imagine Him right there just smiling back at me, laughing with me. Looking back on my race, I am seeing how much enjoyable everyday truly was & how present the Lord was amongst all of the crazy, fun memories!

Jesus is FUN! Ask me why!

I’ve experienced it first hand (: