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One of the main questions I’ve been asked since returning home….

What’s next?

Upon arrival to the states I wasn’t sure. I had no idea actually. All I knew was that I’d be in Chanute, living with my parents, nannying again, and saving up money all while I figured out the answer to that question.

In June I traveled to Project Searchlight in Gainesville, GA. PSL is put on for squads who have just returned back to the states. (If you are a current Racer and are debating whether or not to go to Project Searchlight, GO! Just go. I promise you will be glad that you did.) Searchlight is geared towards helping make the transition back home a smooth one, processing what just happened (what?! I went on the World Race?!), figuring out what is next, and a necessary and much needed squad reunion. 

I went into the week of PSL feeling very confused. To be honest, my time in Chanute had left me feeling out of place more than anything. And I don’t say this in a feel sorry for me way at all. Sure it’s where I grew up, it’s where my family lives, and I have such an amazing and supportive group of people who live there. But I found myself in a place of not knowing how/where I belonged there anymore. And as time went on it wasn’t getting any easier. 

Arriving to Georgia was like a breath of fresh air. I slept on a row of chairs, I lived out of the trunk of my car, and I showered 3 times that week, but it was the most normal life had felt since being back home. All of D Squad that was in attendance took over the sanctuary of the church that we stayed at. We basically had a sleepover every night for a week. It was perfect.

The week was full of incredible time with the Lord, catching up with my people, sharing struggles and celebrations, confusion and unanswered questions of what is next.

During worship one day, someone who I don’t even know the name of, came over and started praying for me. Her prayer was on point and had me bawling, but there were three words she kept repeating… “You belong here.” Even as she walked away she looked me straight into the eye and said again, “you belong here”.

I was very confused and didn’t know if I was supposed to take that literally or figuratively. I began asking the Lord what He meant by it. 

The next day during worship CGA kept popping up in my head. I thought to myself, nah, and brushed it off. But it kept coming. After worship Bill Swan shared about what CGA is. Go figure. During lunch that same day, they had an informational meeting……for CGA. Noooo. Can you guess where I ate my lunch that day?

CGA wasn’t something I was even close to considering but here it was tugging on my heart.

Fast forward a couple of weeks :

I interviewed. Within 10 minutes I received word that I was accepted, and was given a week to say yes or no. I prayed a lot about it. I talked it through with several people. And I prayed a whole lot more about it. After much thought and consideration, I can say with absolute certainty and excitement, that I have committed to doing two semesters of CGA. 

CGA (Center for Global Action) is a program offered through Adventures in Missions (AIM). It is intended for World Race alum and it’s three areas of focus are community, discipleship, and apprenticeship. CGA has different tracks that they offer : worship, leadership, story track, sons and daughters, and missions track. I will be doing the missions track (in September) and the sons and daughters track (in January). 

So what this means is that on September 11th I will be moving to Gainesville, Georgia. Then, in January, I will be going to Guatemala for four months.

My time in Georgia will be spent working at the office, living in community with fellow CGAers, and it will help me prep for what I’ll be doing in Guatemala. I will be spending four months living in Antigua, Guatemala, working with a local orphanage.

I strongly believe that this is the next step for me to take to follow where God is leading me. 

Ever since I left Guatemala, I’ve confidently said I was going to go back there. And though I didn’t know when or how that would happen, or what I would do in Guatemala, I was sure that I’d end up back there someday and that the Lord would show me when the time was right. Well, folks, He opened that door like I knew that He would.

To some of you I suppose this may come as a surprise and some of you may not be surprised at all. 

Sometimes what the Lord calls us to just doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure how it is going to work out financially to be honest, but in the same way that God has provided for me in the past, I know that He is faithful and He will do it again. I am saying yes to Him, and I am putting my trust and faith in Him to provide for this next step, and boy is it a big step!

With that yes, I am also saying yes to support raising again. For both semesters I need to raise a total of $7,450. I ask that you would prayerfully consider supporting me, whether it be financially, prayerfully, or both. If you wish to support me, you can do so by clicking the Support Me link at the top left of my blog page. Thank you all for your love and support, I appreciate it more than you know. If you have any questions or want to know more, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Click on THIS link to learn more about CGA and here is a video that might give you a good picture of what the program is all about.