For those of y'all who are NEEDTOBREATHE fans, no, this blog entry is not about their new album (though I am streaming from their website it as I write this). Moving right along :)
I have been absolutely terrible about blogging for this year's trip. Part of it is my schedule and being over-comitted, though the main reason is that I just haven't had much to say. No, that's not true. I have too much to say and I had no idea what to write down. Until this week, that is.
The theme of my quiet times with the Lord this week have been reflection - reflection on the past few months, the past year, and the past few years. Many of those reflections have included my previous four summers. During those four summers, the Lord has taught me so much about Him, His character, how He is transforming me, how He has transformed me, the Church (and the church), sacrifice and trust. For those of y'all joining me this year, or have only been with me since last year, here's what you've missed. Or, if you have been with me for a while but need a recap:
Bring on BEL2014! With two healthy pole vaulters on the roster, as well as a heptathlete, two distance girls, and a South African sprinter, I know the stage is set for a fantastic summer. We still have three spots open, so we will see what develops between now and when we fly out!
I have been absolutely terrible about blogging for this year's trip. Part of it is my schedule and being over-comitted, though the main reason is that I just haven't had much to say. No, that's not true. I have too much to say and I had no idea what to write down. Until this week, that is.
The theme of my quiet times with the Lord this week have been reflection - reflection on the past few months, the past year, and the past few years. Many of those reflections have included my previous four summers. During those four summers, the Lord has taught me so much about Him, His character, how He is transforming me, how He has transformed me, the Church (and the church), sacrifice and trust. For those of y'all joining me this year, or have only been with me since last year, here's what you've missed. Or, if you have been with me for a while but need a recap:
- Belgium 2010 - The first trip. I learned so much that year about humility and how to be flexible. It was a hard trip, as most "first"s tend to be. Seeds were planted, relationships and friendships started, and a vision born.
- Belgium 2011 - After a year of hard firsts, year two was a year of moving parts. We had four pole vaulters come with us, which means two 15'-long pole cases came with us as well. Three of the four competed, with the remaining one spending his summer rehabbing an injury with me. Praise the Lord for a summer of learning more about flexibility. And how to spin five different plates at the same time.
- Belgium 2012 - Halfway through my support raising process for the trip, my world was rocked. I changed jobs (with two and a half days' notice), which means I couldn't go to Belgium. The type of grief that is mentioned in the Old Testament - the shaving of the head and the wearing a sackcloth - I felt that when I had to say, "Not this year." That was amplified when I was told, on the day that I should have been leaving for Belgium, that my grandma was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. I spent July of 2012 flying back and forth between Cleveland and Dallas, with my grandma ultimately passing away halfway through the trip and the funeral during the last week. Trusting God when He asked me to lay down the trip and change jobs was one of the hardest things that He has asked me to do. Did I really trust Him? Did I really believe that He wouldn't take something away just for the sake of taking it away? Did I really believe that He is good? Hard lessons, but ones that I am incredibly thankful to learn.
- #BEL2013 - We got with the times and introduced hashtags to our trip. Year four was all about family. While each of the summers holds a special place in my heart, I will always treasure the 2013 family for just that reason - the Lord made us a family. To this day, we have monthly "family reunions" on Google chat. But that family status didn't come early. This was an incredibly challenging trip with lots of spiritual attack and heavy conversations. #BEL2013 was a summer of intense sanctification, seeing encouraging spiritual fruit, and learning what it means to be faithful.
What the Lord keeps bringing to mind as I reflect back is portion of Scripture from Isaiah 43:
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:18-19After three years of feeling like I am wandering in the dry, empty wilderness, I feel as if now I'm coming into a completely new time where I will have more areas to explore and wander. A place with lots of rivers and rushing water. While I have learned a lot from this past season, the Lord now wants me focused on what He has for me now, not what was.
Bring on BEL2014! With two healthy pole vaulters on the roster, as well as a heptathlete, two distance girls, and a South African sprinter, I know the stage is set for a fantastic summer. We still have three spots open, so we will see what develops between now and when we fly out!
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