Hi friends!
I’m Ellen Wood, a 17-year-old high school senior with a heart for Jesus and His people. I call Lexington, Kentucky home, and would gladly spend hours talking to you about why our basketball team is the best in the nation, how the Derby is the most exciting two minutes in sports, and why “Heaven must be a Kentucky kind of place.” My love for my home state runs deep, but next year I will be leaving it for nine months to serve in India, Malaysia, and Zambia. Why?
Because God did a pretty cool thing and gave me the incredible opportunity to be a part of the World Race Gap Year, a nine-month mission trip to three different areas of the world. I will be serving in vibrant and unique cultures, working alongside all different types of ministries, and doing whatever I can to demonstrate the radical love and grace of Jesus. I fell in love with international missions when I was fifteen, and God has been calling me deeper and deeper into that ever since. I wholeheartedly believe that He wants the World Race to be the next step in that journey. I feel incredibly blessed to get to go on this adventure, and I can’t wait to see how He uses and teaches me.
So that’s pretty much it! Now that you know who I am and why I am going on the World Race, here are a couple fun facts about me.
1. When I return from the Race, I plan on attending the University of Kentucky and doing a double major in Spanish and social work. However, I realize that The Lord’s plans may look different than mine, and I am open to do whatever He asks.
2. My mom is my best friend and my other half. Leaving her will be the hardest part of the Race for me.
3. I have been to Costa Rica twice, and am going back for a third time in March. I love everything about the Spanish language, culture, and food. Eventually, I want to serve as a missionary somewhere in Central America.
4. Like almost every other World Racer, I love coffee. I drink it from sun up to sun down, and do not feel whole without a cup of it in my hand.
5. I was born in England, and have dual-citizenship as a result.
6. I belong to the best church in the world, Centenary United Methodist (aka C-nation to those who know and love it). It’s where I fell in love with Jesus, found my second family, went on my first mission trip, and met my best friends. I have laughed, cried, yelled, and worshiped my heart out inside of those walls.
7. I am Bob Goff’s biggest fan, and will probably quote him way too much in future blog posts (you’ve been warned). I have read Love Does an embarrassing amount of times and recommended it to pretty much everyone I’ve ever met. Going on a Restore International vision trip and doing the Love Does bike tour are both on my bucket list.
8. I eat Chipotle so much that they should be paying me to advertise their food. It’s an addiction.
9. I get to be a part of a really awesome ministry called Common Good (read about it here http://commongoodlex.org/), and it has taught me, shaped me, and impacted me more than I can put into words.
10. I love to read, and on any particular sunny day, you can find me doing it outside. I also love the feeling of a paper book in my hands, and I just can’t bring myself to use a kindle. I am still trying to figure out how to fit 15+ paper books in my pack. Wish me luck.
11. I am blessed with a job that I love, which is babysitting for several really great families. I am definitely not looking forward to leaving them next year.
12. Above all, I love Jesus and I desire to make Him known to the nations. In my life, He is above and before all things. He is my purpose and my reason, and my prayer is that my life is a testament to who He is and what He’s about.
