Launch is finally here! Currently tucked away in a corner of a hotel ballroom waiting to board shuttles to the airport, it’s finally hitting me. This is happening. I am about to head to the airport, leave the United States at 11:30pm EST, and fly to Istanbul, Turkey for a brief 10 hour layover (ha) and then to South Africa before we bus to Mozambique. Yay the glory of World Race travel days! I’ve heard this is mild in retrospect haha. Squadmates are in huddles talking, giggling, singing, and might be silently freaking out but hiding it really well. I woke up singing “King of my Heart” (if you don’t know it, you should look it up) and even though I write this with tears in my eyes, I know I have peace in my heart. My tears aren’t of sadness necessarily, but of surrender and out of absolute awe of my sweet Savior. He is good- all the time! Though the emotions seem overwhelming and I have undoubtedly been succumbing to them at times, my heart has still been able to sing of His goodness, His praise ever on my lips.
I think I might maybe have a teeny-tiny idea of what this year is going to look like, but I’m sure I’m in over my head. I know I’m gonna lose it at some point. I know I will be chucked out of my comfort zone (by the loving hands of the Father no doubt) and pushed into spaces that freak me out. I know my heart will hurt for home and the ones whose lives will continue on regardless of my physical presence there. I know I will miss birthdays and holidays and my kids from Camp Thurman and my students from church. I am aware that there might be a moment when all I want to do is come home. HOWEVER I am confident of this: “that He who began a good work in [me] will surely carry it on to completion until the day of Christ” because of Phil 1:6. I know that “my God will supply all of [my] needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” according to Phil 4:19. I know that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” because of the promise in Rom 5:3-4. I am spurred on by the fact that the Savior who I risk it all for “did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” Phil 2:6-7. As I’m writing this out I’m realizing how much I love and have memorized the book of Philippians. There’s good stuff in there! I’ll leave you with one of my favorite passages of Scripture at the very end!
For now, here are some exciting updates!
Our travel officially began today! As I mentioned earlier, we fly to Istanbul first, have a 10 hour layover in Turkey, then we fly to South Africa and then bus to Mozambique. Once we get there, I will have little to (quite possibly) no wifi accessibility. It might be like that for the three months I’m in Africa. If you don’t hear from me, that’s usually a good thing! If anything were to happen, Adventures always has ways of letting family know and my family could keep you updated at their discretion! The best way to hear from me while I am gone is by subscribing to my blog in the left tool bar on my homepage at katymichael.theworldrace.org. If you need to get in touch with me, emailing [email protected] is the way to go!
As of 2 days ago, we have a route change! Well, route addition rather. From Madagascar in March, we will head to Malaysia for a couple weeks (WOOT), China on the latter half of April, and then Mongolia in May! Starting in June, my route remains the same: Myanmar, India, Nepal, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador before coming home in November. Yay! Now we’re #12n11!
Fund Raising:
I am just over the $15,000 mark of my support raising- THAT’S CRAZY! Y’all are incredible! The Lord has been teaching me so much and blessing me so mightily as a result of your faithful and generous giving! I still have to raise $2500 more by April 30, 2017 and would love for you to partner with me if you haven’t already. You can do that by writing a check and sending it to Adventures in Missions (see my blog “My Support Letter” for more info on that), submit a donation online, or send a check in my name to my home address for personal spending money on the race (email me or my momma at [email protected] for deets about that!) I also have a t-shirt campaign out now! Each t-shirt is $20 and shipped directly to your home in February. My goal is to sell 100, but here’s the deal: I HAVE to sell 50 more by January 21st in order to have them printed at all. If they’re not printed, people who ordered one already won’t receive their shirt and their money will be refunded, meaning I lose all of the money I have raised! Would you please consider purchasing a shirt? I would super appreciate it. They come in different styles and colors, I designed them myself, and they carry a significant meaning that reflects my heart for the Race and my drive for perseverance. Chem ‘em out at https://www.booster.com/katymichaelworldrace.
Prayer Requests:
-Safe Travel to Mozambique for the next three days
-Team and squad unity
-The ability to take my thoughts and feelings captive and discern them against wisdom
-Peace that surpasses understanding
-Joy in the heartache
-Dependence upon the Lord
-(By name if that’s ok) My mom: Lisa. My dad: Jon. My grandparents: John, Rosie, Harlene, and Noy. My brothers: Chris, Conner, and Nicholas. My aunts and uncles: Lynn, Jess, Loren, and Terri. My boyfriend: Aaron. Ask that the Lord would work mightily in their hearts and lives as He does so in mine!
God is good. This is really happening! I’m excited. It’s gonna be good.
I love you all. Can’t wait to update you more and see you in November!!
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Phil 3:7-14
