January 13th, 2012.
Exactly 3 years ago.
On this date, even though I didn’t realize it at the time, my life was set on a path that only God could have planned.
You see, on January 13th, 2012 I found myself sitting at the Miami airport waiting to board my flight to the Dominican Republic for my first mission trip. Unbeknownst to me, this would not be the last.
I sat with my mom, step-dad, and other teammates at the gate waiting out the layover that had been extended due to a delay. We grabbed a small section of uncomfortable airport chairs so we could all sit by each other and chat. As the seating around the gate started to fill up, I noticed something unusual… A large group of young-adults that seemed to be traveling together. Minutes later (because of my groups matching orange t-shirts) a couple of these people came up to us and started asking us about our trip. For a while, we engaged in conversation about our respective trips. I don’t remember a lot about what they said, but I do remember that they were participating in “The World Race.”
As they explained the concept of The World Race, I vividly remember thinking to myself “There is no way I could ever do that” (I am sure God laughed as I said that to myself). They shared how they were going to 11 different countries for 1 month each, where they would do different types of ministry that may include: construction, teaching English, spending time with orphans, ministering to sex-trafficking victims, and much more. They shared how the only material possessions that they brought with them fit into a large backpack. They shared how they decided to leave the comforts of home so God could use them to build His Kingdom.
Flash forward two years later, I had just returned home from my third mission trip to the Dominican Republic. My heart was overflowing with all the memories that I had made from the last three years and all the “God-moments” that I had experienced. As I started the process of finding an internship for the summer, I also decided to look up some other mission trip opportunities. One night, something led me to The World Race homepage. Immediately I recalled the encounter in the Miami airport that I forgot all about after that first trip. I devoted the next couple of days to reading through blogs and looking through every information packet I could find. I also found a sticker that was given to me by one of the racers that we were talking to that day in the airport. A sticker that I hadn’t seen since I returned home from that first trip.
As I considered this opportunity and started to tell immediate family and close friends, I really felt God leading me in this direction. Daily, I prayed that if it is His will for me to do this, that He open the necessary doors and lead me through them. And He did!
It is crazy to think that exactly 3 years ago, on January 13th, 2012, I had never experienced the way God can use us to build His Kingdom and how God used a delayed flight and a long layover to (without me knowing it) show me where He wanted me. In September 2015, I will be leaving to go to: Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
I responded to His call by saying “Here I am, Send me” and I am so excited for this opportunity and I want YOU to be apart of the journey! There are three ways you can help:
1. Subscribe – You can subscribe to my blog clicking the “follow me” button at the bottom of the page or typing in your email address on the left hand side of the page where it says “Subscribe for blog updates.” (you can uncheck the box that “include World Race newsletters” unless you really want those) By doing this, you will get an email when I add a new blog post so you can stay informed and help support me on this journey!
2. Support – No matter the amount that you are able to give, every single penny helps! In total, I need to raise about $16,000 to be fully funded for this trip and even though I am worried about how I will raise this amount, I know that God will provide. One way (and probably the easiest way) you can do this is by clicking the “support me” button at the bottom of the page.
3. Pray – This is the most important form of support that you can provide, I would not be able to do this without prayer.
Thank you so much for coming to read my blog and I am excited to bring you on this journey with me!
Watch this video to see what the World Race is all about!
