For those who are wondering why I’m going on the World Race, here is a description of my journey leading up to applying to the World Race and an examination of my motives for pursuing this trip.
The idea of volunteering in a developing country, being immersed in a radically different culture, living minimalistically, and working closely with people in need has always been compelling to me. I seriously considered joining the Peace Corps after graduating from college, but eventually realized that God wasn’t calling me there. I became a preschool teacher, continued serving in Children’s Ministry on Sundays, and began pursuing a Master’s of Divinity degree at Bethel Seminary last fall. Each day, my students remind me of how blessed I am to be an influence in their lives and I thank God for the communities I’ve been fortunate to be able to call family.
Just as I started feeling more deeply rooted and comfortable in my roles, a conversation with a friend in October shattered my preconceptions about my future plans. My friend shared that she felt the Holy Spirit prompting her to tell me about a missions trip called the World Race. After learning more about the trip and earnestly seeking God’s will, I decided to respond to God’s invitation. As of this March, I’m officially accepted into the World Race August 2017 (Route 3) trip and couldn’t be more excited to fulfill the great commission!
On a practical level, going on my first missions trip makes sense because the World Race will help determine my future vocation. I haven’t yet decided on my specialization for my master’s degree. I’m leaning towards chaplaincy or missional leadership but I need more experience to determine the path to take. The World Race will provide hands-on experience that will clarify my long-term goals.
On a deeper level, although I love serving God through my profession as a pre-K teacher and as a Children’s Ministry leader, there’s a persistent sense that God wants to do more in me and through me. I sense that this deepening relationship with Him will most powerfully occur when I’m away from my comforts at home, stripped of my first-world dependencies. I believe that Jesus wants to refine and develop me as a disciple through the challenges and opportunities the World Race provides. I’m yearning for deeper transformation and can’t imagine a more powerful catalyst for change than being a part of the community of racers.
But both the practical and the deeper levels still don’t quite capture the essence of why I’m participating in the World Race. I want to help the broken-hearted and connect to the downtrodden. I want to leverage the strengths and gifts I have as well as my experiences of past pain and hurts to bring light and love to people and communities that are hurting. I feel a burden, often…a feeling like I’m not doing enough with what God gave me. To put it plainly, I could be doing more to help others and to lessen the pain and injustice in the world. Though my team and I are not saviors and we ourselves cannot fix broken systems or right the wrongs that have been committed for centuries, we can help bring some light, love, and compassion. We can touch lives, in simple and small yet profound ways. We can show up for people who are in the trenches of life, and through our presence, we can help to illuminate a way out of, or at least through, suffering. We can point to the Creator, the Ultimate Healer and Reconciler, whose abundant love cannot help but transform the cacophony of inner war into the sweet, harmonious song of inner peace. The world needs more love. I believe that my team will be conduits of love wherever we go and where love is, there change will be too.
