Hmm… well, my name is Christie Nicole Albaugh and
here is a little bit of info about myself. It got kind of long, so you have
permission just to skim it for the important stuff….
I
was born in raised in a little town called Woodridge, IL, about an hour outside
of the great city of Chicago. I love that city and anyone who knows me can tell
you that I could talk (brag) about it for hours. My family consisted of my
parents Bob and Jackie, my older sister Sarah (by a year), and my two cats
Sabrina and Little Boy. I grew up playing on the street with the neighborhood
kids, catching lightning bugs on summer nights, walking through my backyard to
get to school, and trying to find the biggest sledding hills in the winter. It
was a small town but it was great times! A couple days after my thirteenth
birthday, we moved to Irvine, California… talk about culture shock! I didn’t
realize that kids were supposed to be “cool� yet at the age of thirteen, but I
found that out pretty quick. Although I hated the idea of living in California
(which I let my parents know every chance I got), I eventually accepted it and
even started to like it a mere three years later. Upon moving, my mother
started
making my family go to church
as well, yes she
made us. Although I
didn’t completely hate it, I never really understood it either.
When
it came time to graduate high school, I decided to go to a private Christian
school because I didn’t want to get lost in the crowd of a big university. I
first went to Concordia University and then transferred to California Baptist
University a semester later. Thanks to some amazing friends and learning
experiences, this is when I truly decided to follow Christ, and it has been a
growing experience ever since. I love this university and I have learned so
much about God, myself, and friendships while being here, and I have found a
church that I love and love to serve at. I have been here for three years, and
I am happy/scared/sad to say that this chapter of my life is going to end in a
little over a month when I graduate come this May.
This
whole year I have been wondering what to do after graduation. I knew that I
didn’t want to continue my education, since I still don’t really know what I
want to do for a career, but I didn’t know what job to get, where to live, etc.
Each year at CBU I participated in a short term mission trip. First to Brazil,
then Rwanda, and this last fall I went to New Orleans. Brazil was my first
mission trip and my first time ever leaving the country, and although it was
scary, I quickly learned that I loved traveling and I loved to serve people
overseas. It was then that I got the first hint that this was going to be a big
part of my life. Each of the next two trips confirmed this for me and God put
international missions on my heart.
The
summer before my senior year I looked online for different overseas
opportunities once I graduate. I stumbled upon the World Race website and
became really excited reading about everything and looking over the racer’s
blogs. Once I saw the price, however, I became a lot less excited and decided I
could never raise that much money. It wasn’t until about 6 months later that I
started to think about it again. Oddly enough, I was really praying about a
different opportunity offered to me to go help with a women’s basketball team
in Southeast Asia, and suddenly, I couldn’t stop thinking about the World Race.
Okay God… what are you trying to tell me here? So instead, I started thinking
and praying more about the World Race. I looked up the application deadline for
the September trip, and it was less than two weeks away. It was during a chapel
service at school that I really just heard God ask me,
why not? I kept trying to find an answer, a reason why I should go,
and God just simply asked
me why not.
I couldn’t find a reason: I love to travel, I would be able to help people, it
would bring honor to God, and I have nothing tying me down here after
graduation. So why not?
So
I applied. Had my interview. Got accepted. It’s been a crazy last couple of
weeks, but I am excited—and yes, even scared a little bit—for this new
adventure. I look forward to going on the race, to meeting all my fellow
racers, and for being a part of all the amazing things that God is going to do
while we are there!
