Welcome to my World Race blog! I hope you will continue to follow this incredible journey throughout the year. To begin, I would like to say that I have been overwhelmingly blessed in every way while preparing for the race. Thanks to my supporters, my World Race is 70% funded with less than $5000 left to raise. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your financial partnership as well as your prayers thus far and in the future. Please pray for my team and I as we go to the nations to spread the name of Jesus.
Many people have asked how I decided to participate in the World Race. Frankly, I did not have a good answer until a few weeks ago when I was preparing for a speech for BCM at my old school Gordon State College. In that time of reflection, I saw how the Lord had shaped my heart over a series of years to bring me to the World Race. It blew my mind because all the pieces of the puzzle were there, but I never thought the pieces went together, so I hadn’t put them together to form the full picture. It became very clear my call to missions began at a very early age.
My great grandmother, her husband, sister, and brother saw the need for help and the hope of Jesus in Dumaguete City, Philippines just a few years before I was born, so they started an organization called Little Children of the World (LCW). You can read more about this awesome ministry at www.littlechildren.org. I went to church regularly, was saved at the age of 6, and I grew up watching my grandmother, Glenna, go to the Philippines twice a year to do mission work with LCW. After many failed attempts to pack myself into my grandmother’s suitcase, at the age of 13, I was finally able to go on my first mission trip. Seeing the poverty and the need for Jesus in the Philippines changed my life and put a love for missions in my heart. As I got older, I continued to go on mission trips to the Philippines as well as other places. I just returned from my sixth trip to Dumaguete, and I fully intend to return many times in the future.
College came around, and I became highly focused on my future. All I wanted to do was go to medical school. My calling to do missions was still a strong presence in my heart, but I began to put stipulations on what I would do on my mission trips based off of what would increase my chances of getting into medical school rather than spreading the good news of Jesus. Baptist Collegiate Ministries became a big part of my life, and has played a huge role in my calling to do missions. Through BCM-Send Me Now I was sent on two mission trips. The first trip was a medical mission trip to Baptist Medical Center in Nalerigu, Ghana. I loved every minute of my time in Ghana, but when I returned I couldn’t help but think that my focus was not entirely on spreading Kingdom, but on the medical experience I was gaining.
After returning from Ghana, a friend from my team invited me to her school’s BCM meeting so I went, and heard the message that solidified my call to missions. After hearing that message I immediately called my college pastor, Jason Teal (shout out to him for being awesome) and told him that I felt the call to be a missionary. I didn’t know where or how that was going to work out, but I knew I felt called. The Lord continued to affirm my calling to missions throughout the months following. Later that year, I attended Confluence, BCM missions conference. Confluence was a pivotal time for my walk with the Lord. The Lord spoke to me so clearly about His calling for me there. I was reminded that medicine might be my ministry in the future, but missions is the ultimate goal. Ministry does not become missions until you mention the name of Jesus.
I graduated from college in May, and I was still confused about God’s plan for my life. Medical school was still my goal. I was working at a job that I enjoyed and that would build my resume for the future, but God was calling me to something different. Frustration began to set in because I thought I had my life figured out, but truthfully, I hadn’t surrendered all my plans to the Lord and allowed Him to guide my steps. In June, I went to Leogane, Haiti with Send Me Now. The trip was, again, a medical mission trip, but evangelism was our primary goal. In Haiti, the Lord reminded me of my call to missions, and began moving me toward the World Race.
I would like to tell you that saying yes to God was easy and as soon as He told me to do the World Race I responded with enthusiasm, but I struggled with the decision. In the beginning of this journey, I waivered quite a bit, but today, as I sit at launch, I can say with conviction that I know the Lord has called me to do the World Race. God has been so good to me in these last few months of preparation, and I cannot believe I ever doubted Him. I am so thankful for the support of my friends and family in making this decision, and I am so thankful for all of your prayers. I look forward with excitement and anticipation for what is to come, and I Know the Lord will be with my team and I along the way.
I encourage you to say yes to God. Whatever He may be calling you to may seem crazy and unattainable, but if He is truly calling you He will provide abundantly. Thanks for reading!
