As most of you know, my journey started back in January of 2015. It was a month after my brother passed away that I first heard about the World Race. I knew from the first video that I watched about it that this was what I wanted to do, key words being “what I wanted.” When I applied and was not accepted due to Adventures in Mission’s grieving policy being that you had to wait a year after the death of a loved one to apply, I started to believe that even though this was what I wanted, maybe it wasn’t what God wanted for me right now.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13
From the time I was rejected to when I was accepted, this verse was repeated countless times by both myself and those around me. I prayed that the Lord would show me what He wanted me to do with my life, and that whatever it was; I was using my gifts and talents to serve Him. I wanted to follow his plan for me if it didn’t match up with my own plan. I could feel that He was beginning to change me. The people I wanted to hang out with, the things I wanted to do with my free time, my outlook on life; it was all changing for the better. He started to shape me into the woman He designed me to be. Now I was super excited for Him to reveal his plan for my life!
When you go through the application process with Adventures in Missions and the World Race, they go through extensive measures to make sure that this is something that is really the Lord’s plan for you at this time. Several interviews are done, reference calls are made with people who know where you are at in life, and most importantly, they really pray about every single person that applies to go on the World Race. So you would think that when I was accepted, that I would be ecstatic knowing that this was God’s plan for my life, right? Wrong. Of course I was super excited to be able to go on this adventure, traveling the world and spreading the love of God with everyone. But to be honest, there have been several times where I have freaked out thinking that this was not the right time or even the next step I should take.
“A year is a long time and what if this year is meant to be spent at home? Shouldn’t I be spending time with my grandma who might not be with us much longer? My family just lost my brother so how will they handle with me being gone for a whole year shortly after? My best friend of 20 years is getting married next year so she’ll need my help planning, right? Maybe I’m supposed to go but not right now because everything else that is going on.” These thoughts and other similar ones replayed constantly in my head. How could I be sure that it was God’s plan for me take this new journey in my life right now? The answer is simple: pray.
So I prayed that the Lord would reveal to me that this was really his plan for me, right here and now. I prayed that he would clearly reveal that going on route 3 in August 2016 was what He had planned for my life.
And then it happened. An email was sent out by our leaders telling us that our squad letters and colors were revealed. Squad letters are made to replace our route number and make it easier to identify each squad. Squad colors are made mainly for training camp purposes so we can be uniform together.
August 2016 Route 3 would now be known as K Squad and our color will be green!!
Wait a minute. Let me process this for a second… My parents named my brother Kory with a ‘K’ because it was different and unique, just like he was. Kory’s favorite color was green.
How amazing is our God?!? Out of all the letters in the alphabet and all the colors in the rainbow, ‘K’ and green were chosen to describe the family that I will join as I join this new journey.
He knew that I needed the extra year to really work on myself and focus on Him and who He designed me to be. He knew that each one of these countries on this route tugged at my heart in a different way. Who am I kidding?! He made me and knows every single strand of hair on my head. He knows me better than I know myself.
I am so overjoyed with His clarification that this what He has planned for my life right now and that my plan lines right up with His plan.
