Almost a year ago exactly, I was beginning to strongly weigh the option of going on the World Race. I became a ravenous blog reader and stayed up for hours watching racer videos. But at this point, this all still seemed like a fantasy, and I never imagined that the World Race would become a reality for me.
The story begins one day last summer when my little sister and I went shopping in my hometown in Georgia. While we were in Blue Sky Outfitters, there was a group of seven or so twenty-somethings who appeared to be what you would call “granola” types. They seemed very high-energy were making a rather loud and joyous ruckus. As they walked by, my sister scoffed at how “obnoxious” they were being, and I wondered what they were so excited about.
After leaving Blue Sky, my sister and I made our way to Target, and standing behind the automatic sliding glass doors was another group of seven or so girls. They had the same air of excitement around them, and I wondered to myself where all of these crazy twenty-somethings were coming from.
But when one of the girls turned around, my heart jumped when I saw she was wearing a World Race T-shirt. Suddenly, all the dots connected and I remembered from reading a few blogs that training camp was that week and that it happened somewhere in Georgia. I turned to my sister and whispered rather loudly, “Oh my gosh, I think they’re going on the World Race!”
I knew that I had to talk to them, but I couldn’t quite muster up the courage right away, so I stalked them around the women’s clothing section for what was probably an uncomfortable amount of time.
Finally, as they reached the shoe section, I shyly asked, “Umm, you guys aren’t…umm, possibly going on the World Race, are you?”
As I asked, their faces lit up and one girl exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, yes!” They told me that they had been at training camp just a few minutes down the road and that they were shopping for last-minute supplies.
After talking a little while about how training camp was going and about their route, I told them that I was actually thinking about going on the World Race. They gave me a ton of encouragement, and when we were done talking, one of the girls asked me if they could pray for me.
I said yes and that it would be great if they could pray for me as I made the decision of what I wanted to do post-graduation and about the possibility of the World Race. I expected the usual “great, we’ll be praying for you” response, but much to my surprise one of the girls spoke up and asked, “I mean, can we pray for you right now?”
Then one of the oddest and most treasured moments of my life happened as the girls circled around me and laid hands on me…right next to an aisle of sneakers in the middle of a Target.
As they prayed over me, I remember thinking to myself, “God, if this isn’t you telling me to go on the World Race, then I don’t know what is.”
Now, I’ve never been one to look for flashing “signs” from God, but this moment seemed more like a quiet reassurance. I saw the boldness of these girls as they prayed over a stranger like me. I saw the excitement and joy that was spilling over from what they had seen God do at training camp. I saw their willingness to serve Christ and their thirst for spiritual growth, and I envisioned myself where they were a year from that moment.
And the crazy thing is, it is a year later, and I actually AM where they were now. I can’t believe I am about to leave for training camp in less then two weeks and then serve God in Albania (the same exact county that the girls that I met were going to first!).
I know that training camp will push me out of my comfort zone and stretch me to limits I probably don’t want to be stretched to, but I am unbelievably excited. And I especially can’t wait to meet my squad mates, who will be my family for the next year!
Stay tuned for updates as training camp approaches! It’s going to be a crazy ride.
