I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Signing up to lead, I didn’t know which country I’d go to, who’d be on my team, or if I would actually be able to do it well.
Praise God, there’s grace for that.
At training camp, The Lord gave me a word for the summer:
“Surplus of Grace”
Ever since, I’ve clung to that promise, especially in the moments when I needed it most.
There’s grace for saying goodbye to your family, friends, and all that is uncomfortable and embarking on a journey full of unknowns.
There’s grace for the moment I first met some of the team and suddenly could not remember any of their names.
There’s grace for the time when we got into Bangkok and getting our phones to work seemed as difficult as curing cancer.
There’s grace for the hours Sarah and I spent wandering around Chiang Mai because we were lost, but the whole team seemed to easily find our guesthouse.
There’s grace for the moments when I had absolutely nothing to say.
There’s grace for the times I said too much.
There’s grace for the mornings when I slept through set aside prayer and quiet time.
There’s grace for the times I accidently pointed the bottom of my feet towards a Thai person and deeply offended them or told them they were bad luck, instead of beautiful like I had meant.
There’s grace for spending one-fourth of my trip either in the hospital or on bed rest.
There’s grace for my impatience in the three days(each way) of bus, plane, and shuttle travel.
There’s grace for the conversations we have when we return home and our loved ones have a difficult time identifying with our experience.
There’s grace for the moment I crumble into my bed and weep after saying goodbye to my team and family from the past two months.
There’s grace for the families who have trafficked their daughters.
There’s grace for the men in the bars who don’t realize their own self-worth.
There’s grace for the women who seemingly have no other choice.
There’s grace for each and every moment, given at the perfect time and covering all our faults and fears.
Whatever you’re anxious or fearful about, remember:
THERE’S GRACE FOR THAT.
and it covers everything.
Thanks for reading the blogs this summer and praying for us!
Sidenote for the fall team, in case you all are checking this (which I can only assume you are!), we left quite a bit of shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, and bugspray (among other things) at Lighthouse and you can buy it there super cheap, so if you’re running out of room in your suitcase, maybe leave those things at home. Excited to pass the torch onto you!
Remember, grace covers all. Amen.
