Becoming a part of an amazing community was the first step on my way to the world race. After about a year and a half I started to feel called to do something more. Go places. Help strangers. See the beautiful things God had made. I thought about it for a while and decided if I was ever going to do something big now was the time.
My mind raced with possibilities. In the beginning I was planning big. I could go anywhere. The only guideline I had was to see the places and the people God had made. I started thinking about different cities and countries.
Then in the back of my mind I worried. I would be alone. As hard as I tried no one else was able to quit their job and take a grand adventure with me. I didn't choose to rely on God as my adventure partner. I made the trip smaller. I went from going anywhere to staying in the US. With this new plan I could almost always be with a friend, or a friend of a friend.
I started researching different churches to go to. Different places to see. I was so excited and I started telling people my plan. Everyone was supportive and thought it was a really cool idea. And then, I worried again. Life would go on. I was choosing to take off for a while, but nothing would stop because I wasn't here. I had set a date to leave, September 2012. Shortly after I found out my sister was pregnant. This was not something I was going to miss. But, with my timeline she would have the baby 6 weeks after I left. I did not want to miss out, so I made the trip smaller again.
Anywhere, for as long as I could afford it, had just become a 6 week US road trip.