Walking Through the Wilderness

Georgia ATL Ministry, Part 2

A recurring theme that started in the second half of us being in the Middle East and continuing on into Georgia has been the aspect of a “wilderness season”. No, I’m not talking about a physical “wilderness” like Linville Gorge or Shining Rock back home. I’m referring to a spiritual wilderness- a journey of refinement and oftentimes a time of trial before God begins to open doors. As I reflect on this season, I look back on the journey that the Israelites took to reach the Promised Land. That time took over 40 years- much of it because of the disobedience that the Israelites exhibited on the initial stages of that journey. Yet as we examine the Bible, there are other instances of God promising something and then testing His people prior to the promise taking place. These people, like Abraham (his seed through Issac), David (prior to becoming the king of all Israel), and others demonstrate the challenges and faith required as many years pass before their promises come to pass.

And so, what has been taking place while we have been in Batumi? A little over 2 weeks after starting our ministry here, I can say that it’s not been much of what I was expecting. Initially, we thought we were going to be in the mountains for a good chunk of our ATL month. Much of my team felt like staying in the city was a better option (especially as it has been snowing here). I did not expect to be in the city the whole time, so this caused me to wrestle a bit. Furthermore, I was super excited for a possible multi-day ski outing in the northern part of the country. It was going to be a lot of fun. However, as this month continued, we did not want to uproot ourselves and travel all the way to Gudauri and then all the way back. Another factor in this month has been the weather. It has been doing a mix of rain, snow, and sleet for most of our time here. Sunshine is a rarity. I get it- it’s winter. But this weather has made it a lot more difficult to get around Georgia and get into the villages.

And so, what do I do? I wait on the Lord and trust Him with His promises. One of the biggest developments in 2021 was the Lord revealing His calling (see https://bretthaas.theworldrace.org/post/over-the-edge1) and the Race being a potential avenue to take up the mantle of the explorer in order to build connections in new places and bring the Gospel to remote/ unreached lands. One of the most beautiful things that I have seen take place in Batumi is getting into God’s presence and casting vision. Being in the “wilderness” brings out the raw in me as I talk to the Lord and flesh out the heart and vision of why I am on the field (and how I fit into the body of Christ). And after praying over this extensively- the (life) vision I see is bringing adventure, the mission, and the relationships together towards the missional cause and penetrating into new areas. A frontier focus- and also in pointing established church communities towards the frontier.

Interestingly enough, much of my wrestling has come down to trusting God and still choosing Him when our plans have been dramatically altered (in this case the pandemic). Originally, I had planned to launch all over the 1040 window with lots of remote countries with a different group of people in 2020. A lot of those people later became part of 2021’s I Squad. I Squad ended up doing a lot of crazy mountain stuff as part of their ministry while out on the field. Yet as I prayed, I felt led to launch in the August 2021 window and not try to go out with I Squad. I am called towards M Squad. Each squad and squad demographic is different. One of the hardest, most beautiful, and most growth giving themes of my Race has been loving and running with those who do not carry the same ministry vision/ direction as me. It’s been tough at times (https://bretthaas.theworldrace.org/post/when-the-world-race-gets-messy). A lot of people have a passion for staying in one place to build relationships. Yet I continue to carry the “nomadic backpacker” persona that I’m sure has been cultivated over decades of living less than a 20 min drive to the Appalachian Trail. The backpacking culture of going from one place to another with a group of friends has been woven into my DNA (and is a huge reason why I signed up for the Race as opposed to other missions programs that do awesome work overseas). I’ve found myself in lots of cities instead of rural mountain villages most months. I’m in a city now. Yet there is purpose to this- and there has been lots of good fruit both in ministry and the perspectives of others.

For those who know me well, I have a particular passion for adventure. And it’s fun to be able to do adventurous things on the “adventure days” that we get. I’ve adventured and travelled for many years before the World Race as well. God has also used me towards reaching the outdoor community with the Gospel. It’s easy to idolize adventure and try to do it for selfish reasons. The enemy likes to twist good things into things that are not. But deep down, the goal is to be able to share it with others, discover new places, and use this avenue to talk about the Gospel. I’ve ran into so many people on adventure days that I would not have met otherwise. Especially in the backpacker / tourist crowd. This is something that I am super thankful for. Yet in the end, I see adventure/ exploration and ministry not as separate things but ultimately coming together in a beautiful way. There have been lots of great glimpses of this (“Two Canyons and the Castle”, “The Balkans Before Us”, and “Country Roads Take Us Home”). How the Lord will continue to work here (especially in terms of shifting rugged pioneering / exploration from an occasional opportunity to a main ministry focus) is in His hands.

Yet I also say this. While my time in Georgia has been very different from what I had planned, God’s purpose is still very evident. These days in Batumi have provided much needed breathing room to address things at home when I go back to the States. We have been able to stay in a nice place with reliable internet, which has been so helpful. I was able to reapply and begin the process of being part of Appalachian State Univ’s Geography MA program in the fall. It’s also been a terrific time to reach out to supporters and people that I got to meet while overseas. Furthermore, it’s been nice to catch up with friends who are part of the church that I plan to join when I go back to Boone. Meanwhile, this time has been helpful with preparing our next steps and planning where to go at the end of the World Race. This has truly been a blessing.

And so I trust God. And I wait on His timing. And ministry continues (including taking advantage of a good weather day to hike up a snow covered mountain with a giant cross on top with some friends from Russia & Brazil) as we push ahead in Batumi!

Stay tuned for more ministry updates (and what went down in Batumi) in the next blog!