“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”- Ephesians 4:22-24

What an amazing week! I just returned from training camp with the World Race, and let me tell you, I haven’t felt such presence from the Holy Spirit since the summer of 2018. AND the community (communitas) of many faithful believers, all there for the same purpose: being the hands and feet of Jesus? What a powerful time of worship and fellowship! I won’t lie, it was hard for me to fit in originally because I definitely come off as shier than most; however, after day two, I felt like I have known my squad all of my life AND that I’d been at training camp for a month, not just two days.

Also, if you don’t know what a “kiss from the king” is, they are basically ways that God shows He is with you/that he loves you. To be more specific, my kiss from the King are butterflies; people see butterflies every day, but when I see them, I know that they really only mean something to me. A friend of mine, Kelly, sees sunsets as her kiss from the King. Everyone looks at sunsets, but she can look at one and see a specific color in the sunset that is meant just for her. I encourage you, if you don’t know what your specific kiss is, I guarantee if you look hard enough, see what kind of pattern you see (usually in nature) at least once a day, you’ll find how God tells you that He loves YOU, that he SEES you and HEARS you.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 4:6-7

I say all of that because that’s how I knew God was there with me, helping me find the courage to speak up: I saw at least one butterfly every day, at the exact moment that I prayed for courage and boldness. But the butterfly also represents something else: change. A caterpillar spends its life eating leaves, growing, just prepping for the day it finds its potential. Then, it finds a safe branch, binds itself in protective thread, being still in wait, until the day comes where it emerges and becomes a new creation, a butterfly that seeks nectar to survive. And, just like a caterpillar and a butterfly, that is how our life is (our old self-caterpillar vs. our new self-butterfly).And, like the caterpillar eats leaves, we eat up the world’s viewpoint until we find our cocoon (our Protector), and then we become the butterfly, a new creation in and through our Protector, and we must eat of His viewpoints, His Word, in order to survive.

I can’t believe that in a couple of weeks, less than a month from today, I will begin the start of a new journey in order to give glory and honor to God and to build His Kingdom. I feel that my squad and I can all agree that if we were to launch today, we would be all for it, but during this period of time before we start, God is telling us to rest, to enjoy time with family and friends so that we can begin the journey with a clear head and a clean, refreshed heart. I am glad for this time, but I do miss my squad. I’m fully aware that I’ll be spending a whole year with them, but when you connect that quickly, that deeply with people, to the point that you’ve felt you have known them your whole life, they become family. God has a wonderful plan for this journey, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds through all of us.

“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”- Jeremiah 29:11