Dear Friends. Family. Mentors. Roommates. Employers. Fellow classmates. College partners in crime; I have some major news I would like to announce about my plans for 2014!
Firstly, for those who know me, I have the most adventurous soul. I only want to live a life that is full of new and exciting experiences, people, places, things, moments, foods, anything. I have learned that life is made from and for God, and that has filled me with an understanding that I shouldn’t live life any other way than to experience His plan; not mine. When I was in my sophomore year of college, I gave my life to my main guy Jesus Christ; ever since, my faith in God, and His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 has grown hundred-fold for me. I could not be more thankful and blessed for the family and friends He has given me and the path He has put me on since, it really is beyond my own dreams. He’s steered me toward, and into, a life full of fulfillment in Him; not physical things or people. Even before my faith, living with purpose, passion and the constant pursuit of happiness is what I have always aimed for. Until the end of my college career, this motto that has been apparent in who I am. Then it started to grow. And grow. And grow. As I neared the end of my senior year and the thought of a 9-5 became more and more daunting, I felt the pull to do something bigger. Something of purpose, passion, and the pursuit of happiness.
Then I heard about The World Race……and I jumped on it faster than any job offer I could have been given…then I applied. Then I got an interview. Then I got in, and it all started happening. I screamed “FOR REAL?!” to the girl on the phone, and proceeded to dance around my house in complete and utter excitement!!!
THE WORLD RACE: 11 COUNTRIES. 11 MONTHS. ONE MISSION: LOVE.
I will be spending one month in each of these countries: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Thailand, Philippines, Burma, and Cambodia. I will be backpacking the entire year (oofta…time for a slight lifestyle change and some good muscles), and going on the craziest adventure of my entire life! I will be invested in other cultures and experiencing the love and grace of God in every moment and every person I meet. Working among poverty in the South Pacific, going on the occasional safari in Africa, wine tasting in the Eastern Europe, catching my next ride on the back of an elephant to help some of the most densely sex-trafficked cities in the world. It’s up my alley, it’s raw, and I CANNOT wait to go in July with 60 other candidates who are living just as alive as I am!
A common thought with the constant reminder: “What have I gotten myself into?”
It’s not about me. It’s not about being ‘comfortable’ for the rest of life. I want to step into inconvenience, to grow in my faith, to see God work in the corners of the world where comfort is hardly realistic and definitely not a necessity. I want to experience it. When I first heard this song, it struck to the very core of exactly why I am going on the World Race.
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In my own little world it hardly ever rains,
I’ve never gone hungry, always felt safe.
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world, population: me
I try to stay awake during Sunday morning church
I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give ’til it hurts
And I turn off the news when I don’t like what I see
Yeah, it’s easy to do when it’s population: me
What if there’s a bigger picture?
What if I’m missing out?
What if there’s a greater purpose?
That I could be living right now
I don’t want to miss what matters
I wanna be reaching out
Show me the greater purpose
So I can start living right now
Outside my own little world.
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I believe, just like in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Nothing physical remains or is left behind in our lives on Earth besides the love we take, experience and leave behind. I have been given the AMAZING opportunity to travel the planet Earth to 11 different countries all under one agenda: LOVE! I cannot wait to find out what God has in store for me, the adventures I’ll experience, and the friends I’ll meet along the way.
Everyone who knows me knows there has always been a passion, desire, fire inside my soul that longs for something ‘more’ in life than the average routine that most follow. I also understand that not everyone is like me. But since I am this way, I am nonetheless taking a gigantic leap of faith and going on the World Race in July of 2014 and CANNOT WAIT! My squad will kill it and grow so much over the year together and cannot wait to meet everyone! James 4:14 says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” I don’t intend on wasting it. I want to spend every waking moment of my life with an open mind, heart, and perspective; eager for adventure, something new. A 9-5 job right now is not God’s plan for me right now. To be honest, I don’t know if it ever will be. We’ll see what He has in mind!
SO, in July of 2014, I will be leaving on the World Race! If you wish to, FOLLOW ME on this blog for updates along my journey! I will obviously be carrying my camera everywhere I go and documenting it for my own memories and for my family and friends at home to watch my adventures! To everyone who has and will support my adventurous soul, THANK YOU! I love you! I know many people don’t know about this news yet, but I recently committed to my admittance and am excited to finally tell everyone that I’m officially going! (If you wish to support me, it would be MUCH appreciated and anything counts! Click on the tab Support My Adventure! and in return, I will personally do a ‘mission in your name’ while I am away. I am utterly grateful for any amount. I am beyond thankful.)
“Perhaps it sounds as though I believe you have to work your way to Jesus. I don’t. I fully believe that we are saved by grace, through faith, by the gift of God, and that truth faith manifests itself through our actions.”
Warmly,
Brittany!!!
PS. Here is an awesome video talking about the WORLD RACE! I can’t wait!
