Surrender

If you had told me a year ago what my life would look like right now I would’ve never believed you.  It’s only day 3 in Georgia and the Lord has already shown me so much- especially what it means to fully surrender. The year leading up to the race everyone would warn me about the Georgia heat, porter potties, bucket showers, etc. and it never worried me. I’m thankful God gave me such a calm mindset leading up to the race or else I probably wouldn’t be in Georgia with my squad right now.

For those of you who have never been tenting in Gainesville, let me tell you the humidity and heat is no joke. Then add walking up hills with a backpack that contains your life for the next 3 months. Then add not being allowed to shower. Yep, that’s been life. But even under these conditions we’re learning to adjust and appreciate the little things. The word surrender has been on my heart since I arrived in Georgia so i thought I’d share what surrender looks like in this season of my life:

Surrender looks like following God even when you don’t know why He’s calling you. Surrender looks like leaving your family and friends for 9 months. Surrender looks like giving up the comfort of your home and daily routine. Surrender looks like not showering for 3 days & looking forward to a cold bucket shower at 10pm (because God doesn’t judge whether you look or smell good hehe). Surrender looks like porter potties all day every day. Surrender looks like crying to your squad mate because you can’t believe you signed up to sleep in a 90 degree bug infested tent.

Despite all these inconveniences, I’ve had an amazing first 4 days. The Lord has shown me that you need to experience discomfort in order to grow. Last night (day 3 of being here) we finally got to bucket shower and I can confidently say I’ve never been so excited to shower. We are so used to living privileged lifestyles: air conditioning, clean bathrooms, a bed to sleep in… but the truth is we don’t need these things to survive. Don’t get me wrong I’d love to be writing this from my bed in my air conditioned room but that’s not always where God shows up. Sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone to experience God in a new light. No matter what you go through He will always be there right beside you. God is so apparent here and He is so good!

Make sure to “subscribe” so you don’t miss any new blogs. I can’t wait to tell you more about my squad and the work we’re doing in Georgia (stay tuned for that)!

I’m also still fundraising. In order to stay in Georgia I need to have $10,000 by October so I appreciate your prayers for me!