Living Water by Kim Hitchcock
Image: Nikki-rose
Monica Guo left her job & city life determined to become a surfer. This was a plan her family and society did not embrace. Against all odds she not only became a surfer but went on to represent The Chinese National Surf team. In 2018 she was the first Chinese surfer to win a heat in the ISA world longboard championship. When asked her advice to other aspiring Surfers she simply said, “Don’t be afraid to change!”
She entered a place that wasn’t welcoming, uncharted ground with lots of obstacles. What resulted was a gift of unfathomable flowering, the birth of women’s surfing in the most uncommon of places. Within CS we are seeing a similar budding of surfer girls coming together for girls surf trips, mentoring, serving on boards, founding new chapters and making lifelong friends. Local, national & international leadership is finding new life from women of all ages being drawn not only to the CS community but being called to leadLeadership is not a position but a movement of hear, a posture of openness & a desire to serve. For many, leadership is an opportunity to change the view of ourselves & our idea of who we are in God. God calls the most unlikely of Leaders, especially in unprecedented times. If you doubt that you could make any difference in the world today, it’s precisely the unexpected that He can use to His greatest advantage. The unequipped uniquely glorify God which makes clear for all to see that only by His strength the extraordinary can happen through ordinary people. He calls us ALL to do far greater things than we can imagine, not because of who we are, but because of His purpose & grace. (2 Tim. 1:10)
Our world needs more unlikely leaders who may have been discouraged in the past to step, speak or paddle out. We need you to be the light that illumines the way to new horizons, to break new ground & inspire others to do the same. All that is required is the willingness to say a resounding or even a hesitant yes while diving into the unknown. You just might find yourself on the most glorious wave of change you’ve ever known and encourage other “unlikely’s” in the process!