My squad is currently experiencing the "honeymoon phase". We love our teammates. We want to discover how we are wired, learn our gifts, our likes, our quirks, and what we have to offer. Alex introduced a challenge for each of us to select just THREE words we value the most from the lists shown below. This helped us understand ourselves, and each other just a little more. After much thought and prayer, I finally landed on Joy, Imagination, and Love (I will touch more on this later.)

Another teammate, Tera recently passed along some advice from a current World Racer. She suggested we write letters to ourselves to read as we go further along in our year, and exhaustion and discouragement begins to take its course. This will serve as a helpful reminder for why we willingly placed ourselves on the Race in the first place.

This is an open letter to my future self.

Let's get one thing straight. You're not a missionary. And this is not a missions trip. You're not leaving to convince people that your way is the best way, or to shove your religion in their face. That will never solve anything. You're not out to save a nation. In fact, you are probably saving yourself more than anyone else. 

What you ARE is an ordinary, imperfect girl who was given a second chance to live out God's will for your life. You came at a crossroads, and you chose a new path, you began your own Kingdom Journey.

You're leaving because God is calling you to a different life, one you've ignored for too long. You need to be thrown out of your comfort zone, you need to trust God with EVERYTHING.

You're leaving to build new relationships and teach people what you've learned through having intimacy with God. You need to show them the pure happiness, confidence and completeness that comes when you know your Creator personally. You need to illustrate the freedom and limitless possibilities that comes when you are walking in God's footprints.

You need to be broken of habits, fears, comforts, ideas and expectations.

In this next year your job is not to fix people, but to show acceptance.

Your job is not to heal people, but to hear them.

You're not leaving to set an example or an imaginary standard of what a "Christian" should look like.

You're not there to yell at people, ignore them, degrade them, criticize them, insult them or change them.

Your job is not to save people, but to tell them who their Savior is. 

When everything seems dark, when you just want to come home, when you're disgusted with your teammates, when you're desperate for a hot shower, when you need to be ALONE!! When all you see is hurt and sadness and can't wait for the light at the end of the tunnel, remember why you are here...

Those three words you value above all else- JOY, IMAGINATION, and LOVE. This is why God made you, this is what your purpose is.

To help people see the JOY that is possible with an identity found in Christ.

To teach people that even the most remarkable and creative IMAGINATION does not begin to touch the possibilities of a life handed over to Christ.

And finally, to show people a glimpse of the impossible, unfathomable, boundless LOVE of Christ.

When times get hard and you forget, remember THAT'S why you are going. Because when you heard the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" You finally spoke up, and said, "Here I am. Send me."

So please, keep pushing through. Not just for them; your friends, your family, the people you meet along the way, not just for the approval of God...but do it for YOU. Your growth, your faith, your Kingdom Journey. Don't give up. It will all be worth it at the finish line.

With joy, imagination and love,

Emily

I'm all set to go. My bags are packed, my life-altering challenge soon begins.

But I'm interested to know, and I hope you are too...what are YOUR three words?