As I came into the World Race I knew community was going to be the most difficult part for me. I was used to living the solo Christian life, doing things in my own strength and striving for more Biblical knowledge. Vulnerability was something I had heard of, but I would just keep most things between me and God. Then I came on the race and began to grasp what the body of Christ really looks like. 

The body of Christ... each member belongs to all the others, so when one member rejoices we all rejoice and when one member suffers we all suffer. My grandma passed away at the beginning of the race. My team and my squad surrounded me in love. Timely hugs, a space to shed tears, my way to process was sharing stories and photos of her life. I grieved with my team. I felt a closeness to God through grieving with the body of Christ, and an intimacy with God knowing I was fully supported. 

There was also rejoicing! Rejoicing together in corporate worship! Rejoicing together as we listened to each other’s testimonies/life stories and sharing God’s victories throughout each other’s lives. We rejoiced in Chichicastenango when we got a staircase up to our living quarters (remember my vlog?). We rejoiced over delicious pupusas and a homemade table. 

Then there’s good ol’ vulnerability. Going deep into our thoughts, feelings, and hidden sin. And sharing these things out loud! Not just with God, not just in our journals, but with each other. And trusting each other with these things. Vulnerability isn’t really about me, it’s about the being the bride of Christ... the body. “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5. 

Throughout the race, we’ve shared deep struggles, confessed and repented of sin in front of God and in front of each other, and asked hard questions that challenge. Honestly, the Body will not react perfectly every time (we are all imperfect people!), but the beauty is that the Body is present if we let it be. As we have all been growing in our own ways with the Lord, grace is extended without hesitation. Our love for each other is refined to be more like Jesus’ love. As this change happens, people are curious and drawn to it! And forgiveness is displayed in such a way that is unnatural to our present world. These fruits are the things that will magnify Christ. We can’t do it solo. We are the Body!

As we conclude our time here on the Race, I have decided that I will be a lone wolf no longer! Doing life with others has to be a priority for me now. I will fight for this in the next chapter of my life. Things like grocery shopping and walking around town can become an opportunity for the wolf pack to howl aka share the love of Christ. I’m so excited to see how God creates deep community for me in the states and continues to move in His body in America.