Abandonment: “The process of taking our hands off of what we have been holding onto” (Seth Barnes). This week can be described with one word, abandonment. The World Race is an act of abandonment and leaving every single comfort we have behind. Our beds are changed to sleeping pads. Our room switched to tents and bed sheets are turned to sleeping bags. Our closets are now squished into a 65 liter backpack that we now carry on our backs. As racers we are abandoning everything, our family and friends, our favorite foods, our every day routines, and our comfort is left behind.
But our reward of abandoning everything is so sweet.
This week I was definitely feeling the loss of things. Missing my family, my bed, my mama’s cooking, my church, playing pool with my family, and everything that is familiar to me. For the past week in Georgia it has been pouring rain, so in result my tent got SUPER wet. My stuff was damp and I was in constant anxiety that I will wake up with everything flooded so I was not able to get good sleep. The enemy was definitely stirring up some things because I thought “I could be in my bed right now instead of the middle of the woods sleeping in a damp tent.” I was beginning to feel sad about everything I abandoned back home. As I spent some time with the Lord, I felt like He was telling me to lean on Him and cast all my anxieties on Him.
Although it continued to pour, the Lord provided a couple who so thoughtfully provided their home for us tonight! The Lord is so good! Along with the rain, we got our teams!! I will be spending 8 weeks with 5 lovely ladies! I will be ministering and living with Maggie, Amy, Mikahla, and Micah. It was so exciting and so right for all of us to be together.
Please pray for us as we are traveling to Guatemala on Sept 12 and will be there for 8 weeks. Pray for safe travels while we go and for our team to be a blessing to each ministry we partner with. Miss you all! And God bless!
Joanaaa this is so good.
More abandonment, more trusting the Lord and more opportunities for Him to provide.
Excited to walk with you in this next season and anticipating we will see great fruit come out of your obedience to abandon everything for the sake of the Gospel.
Love you chica!!
So so so so so good!! Aren’t ya thankful that when we empty ourselves, he’s ALWAYS faithful to refill us!?
Proud of you!!
AWM
Joana,
ABANDONMENT!
More brokenness, more death to self, more reconsecration and surrender.
I love your heart sister! I such an encouraging recap of what God is doing in, through, around, and in spite of you. So glad you stayed the course and are now on the ground just getting started as you build up the body of Christ in Guatemala, provoke them to love and good works, begin and continue intersecting with the lost people there, and simply getting to know and enjoy your good good father more and more each day. Can’t wait to see what he’s going to do it.
I love how honest this blog is. It’s hard! Leaving our comforts is not easy. Jesus warned us about this, but He also promises a life that we can’t even imagine on the other side. Proud of you for sticking it out and making it to Guatemala where the journey really begins. Can’t wait to see what He has to show you. I’m blessed to get to walk with you this year and enjoy all of what makes Joana special. Can’t wait!
God is writing a beautiful story through you! More of you Jesus and less and less of me!
Praying you stay healthy through all the damp and rain and protection from the enemy from discouragement.
Praying for you
Praying that your team continues to be blessed as you serve in your community in Guatemala!
I LOVE GLORIA A DIOS!!! Praying for you girls!! Miss you so much, can’t wait to hug you at debrief!!
Oh, how sweet the Lord moved through these hard moments for you, and brought you peace and comfort that you may not have known otherwise!