Colorful bricks, shattered and scattered on the ground surrounding a man on his knees. He carefully picks up a piece, polishes it, and puts it into place. Colors being intricately woven together to picture. As the wall is steadily and slowly being formed I get a glimpse of what the final picture will be; Jesus. The wall will be the most beautiful sight anyone has ever seen, placed in the center of a park. I can see people coming, staring, and admiring this picture once it’s all complete. 

This is a vision I received from God during the beginning of the year. My world race journey began with my squad doing 24hr prayer, for an entire month straight. This was one of my most favorite times because it pushed me to pray for hours at a time, to be awake at uncomfortable hours of the night, to earnestly seek God, and helped me learn Gods voice. 

As the year went on, the vision reappeared and the wall would grow in stature. The picture of Jesus was more evident, the park was expanding and being renovated, and my understanding grew. Each color of the wall represented a person on the squad. We all needed to be broken down by God in order to be reformed and grown together as the Body of Christ. The builder was God, and He would polish each piece so it would shine and reflect His image. As the squad grew this year, the picture grew with it. It was such a beautiful, breathtaking sight. 

As the year came to a close this vision revisited my mind. I sat and reflected on what I saw and the growth that came, from both the picture but also my squad-mates. This time, the vision was different, the wall was almost complete, all that needed to be finished was the top left corner. The week of final debrief was underway and with just a few days left on the race, the wall was completed. It was such a beautiful and overwhelming sight! 

I continued to sit in God’s presence and stare at the picture, and then the vision continued to grow. The buildings surrounding the park had taken on a different form, they were now under reconstruction, with broken pieces being placed together in new ways to form a unique picture. Each building had its own color with various shades and each picture had already begun taking shape. Again, a new understanding came; every member of the squad had its own building, all the work that we put in, to growing as the Body of Christ together was also taken to grow each individual into who they are completely in Christ.

 I am amazed as to how God continued to show up and speak to me through this vision. It became a way for me to hold onto the hope that Christ brings because I was able to visibly see just how far we each had come. This year has taught me a lot of things, but one that will surely stick with me forever is that God always shows up. I am truly blessed to have been able to go on this journey and to experience life with a new family. Thank you to everyone who supported me, it would not have been possible without each of you. I love you all!