Have you ever heard of Jamie, the very worst missionary?
Hi, I'm Anna, and I suppose you could call me the very worst World Racer.
a little bit o' backstory for ya…
I was born in South Carolina in 1989. if you're from there, don't start to get too excited, because we moved before I could form any sort of conscious thought. 
I lived all over the place growing up, from scotland(yes, the country in Europe) to Mississippi, to California…until my family and I ended up in …*dundundun* Idaho! from there, it got interesting.
a series of events led to my parent's separation and subsequent divorce right around my senior year of high school. the general concensus of my family at this point was, "great. we move to Idaho and THEN they get divorced? I would rather this had happened in California." However, God had a different plan…
I went completely crazy my senior year. I did all the wrong things and hung out with all the wrong people. I fell in love with the wrong guy…twice…and pretty much did as I pleased, while at the same time, making myself miserable to the point where I was semi-suicidal. in the midst of all the craziness, I cried out to the God I had been raised to believe in. I knew He was there, but I was unsure of the extent to which He wanted to be involved in my life. I assumed it wasn't much.
ha. ha ha.
from there, my life as I knew it unraveled. I flunked my senior year in high school. the guy I was in love with (the wrong one) moved far away. I spent a good deal of time hating me and anything to do with me, such as…my whole life.
fast forward a year later. I graduated high school after my second senior year, got a job, bought a car, and felt pretty proud of myself. however, I STILL hadn't surrendered myself to Jesus. didn't know I was supposed to…
actually, the way I finally started following Him is pretty anti-climactic. I didn't have an awesome God encounter, didn't hear Him speaking to me audibly, didn't get a crazy-cool vision…nope. I just went to church for graduation Sunday and for the first time in my life didn't find it mind-numbingly boring.
so I went back.
and went back again…
got plugged in to a women's Sunday school class…
got involved in a couple ministries…
and somewhere in there, I found Jesus =)
from there, it's been a giant, crazy adventure. I fell in love (with Jesus this time), went to Africa, and found my calling as an overseas missionary.
as for how the World Race happened…(it's actually a pretty cool story, so stay tuned in if you can.)
when I got back from Africa the first time around, I was anxious to get right back out on the field. I had caught the missions bug, and I wanted to see where God would send me next and (eventually) plant me. different countries came across my radar in different ways…hearing about the Philippines at a friend's church…China at a concert…India as a crazu desire in my heart…and of course, I was dying to go back to Africa.
imagine my complete shock, then, when a friend referred me to the World Race and the very first route listed these countries in this order:
Zimbabwe/Botswana
South Africa
Swaziland
India
China
The Philippines
I knew it was meant to be. so I applied…
and didn't hear back for a month.
I called.
and called again…
and again….
put in my two weeks notice for my job….
and exactly two weeks later, was officially accepted for the World Race.
told ya. cool story, right?
thanks for being a part of the adventure. =)
-Anna
