My world spins pretty fast

My life is unusual, my world spins fast – at any given time of the day or night I might get a phone call or an email from some random part of the world asking for prayer or help.

This past week, for example, Rusty Jackson, our leader on the January ’08 World Race team, called from the Miami airport (en route from Bolivia to South Africa). Steve had just lost his passport. Alarm bells sounded and we made arrangements to take care of him. Later he found it a hidden compartment in his new bag.

Some hours later, Rusty called as the team was in New York. Meredith’s ears were killing her and she had to get off the plane and stay behind. We got some people we know to take care of her and after healing for a few days, expect her to be soon leaving for Africa to catch up with her team.

On an average day I might write a hundred emails, read a couple of dozen blogs, and receive any number of reports. It’s nothing but a privilege to see what God is doing. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Here is a sampling of a few recent reports from our teams going around the world:

From our squad in Guatemala:

This month ministry was intentional. We prayed daily, “Lord this day and time is not ours but yours, do what you have with us.”

And we would go to the park and pray and ask the Lord to direct our steps and contacts and daily we had to choose to go to the hospital. There was no one there waiting for us or expecting us at a certain time so we daily had to choose to go.

From our squad in Swaziland:

As we waited for the prince [of Swaziland] to arrive… I had the opportunity to get to know some of the kids.

There were three girls in particular I just fell in love with.

They hung around me and one held tight gripping my arm.

Later on as I had my arm around her and was rubbing her back lightly, she looked up at me with big dark brown eyes and asked, “

Can I go home with you?”

From our squad in Bolivia:

We summited the 17,000 foot mountain after right around two hours. I have never been at such an altitude and the last bit was the hardest.

The air was so thin and my legs felt leaded down. At the top, a beautiful thing was waiting.

From training camp in Gainesville, GA:

I guess I don’t fit the profile of a “typical” racer. At 30, I am one of the “older” ones, relatively speaking.

I have been through college and grad school. I have the husband, the house, the car, the pets, and about ten years invested in my career.

So what I’m about to do in giving up almost every aspect of stability and comfort that I’ve grown accustomed to is in stark contrast to what most people at my stage of life are doing.