Well, as I mentioned before, I used to be completely against taking a mission trip for myself. My viewpoint was always, “if you’re called to missions, that’s all fine and dandy, but there are people who need to support missionaries…and that’s where I’m called.” I was told by a missions major at the college I was attending that if I refused to do international missions, I simply didn’t have a heart for God and I really wasn’t a devoted Christian. For a long time, that really hardened my heart towards mission work outside of the US because I was told that because my heart wasn’t “in the right place,” the best thing I could do was support.
From that experience, God has certainly brought me a long way! About a year later, I was at a church service in which a missionary from India spoke. God began to open my eyes to the truth of missions and how important it was. I developed a strong passion and desire for India over the next few years, but the opportunity never presented itself for me to be able to travel there to do any missions work.
I had heard of the World Race several times, but I never took enough time to look into it and find out what it was all about until a friend of mine called me about it one night. I watched the video on the home page and immediately felt God tugging on my heart to pursue it. I applied that night, interviewed 2 days later and was accepted by the end of the week!
I knew from the minute I watched the video that this was the next step for me in my Christian walk. I had prayed several years ago for God to show me what it really meant to truly love others…to see others like He sees us…and to operate in the true, selfless, nonjudgmental service He’s called me to. This is not only an amazing opportunity to see God at work in my life and the lives of those I will come in contact with, but this is going to be an opportunity to truly let go of everything I’ve ever known and dive off the cliff into the unknown…to experience His love like I’ve never known…to see His creation like I’ve never seen…to see humanity at it’s worst and at it’s best…and to push through all discomfort and seek after Him and His heart alone.
Everything else will fall away, but His love will overcome…my desire is to see His love at work in my life and through my life in order to bring Him all the glory and honor and praise…and for others to see His redemption and grace in their own lives. I cannot wait!!!
