Over the past month my friends, family, and co-workers have all been so responsive to my decision to go on the world race. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the conversations with all of you about what the next year and half of my life is going to look like. More and more the reality of what I will be embarking on has begun to set in, and I couldn’t be more excited.
While this truly is something to anticipate with a certain level of expectation, I’m afraid that when I talk to people about the world race they hear “vacation” rather than “mission”.
When people tell me:
“oh wow! That is so cool” or “I would love to do that”
I’m afraid that they’re thinking:
“Oh wow! You get to go to Thailand!” or “I would love to backpack through Southeast Europe!”
The World Race is not a vacation.
It is a program that sends young missionaries to some of the poorest regions on the globe. Areas that have been stricken with violence, poverty, and serious social and economic issues. Embarking on this will be exhausting at times, pushing me far beyond anything comfortable, but I am embracing that.
I am embracing the times that I feel like I can no longer sleep in a tent on the ground
or
the times that I am sick because of the local water
or
the times that I haven’t had any privacy of my own for months
or
the times that I am just tired of being surrounded by a life that is completely foreign to everything thing
I am stepping out not into a vacation, but a mission.
My heart is that my squad and I would truly impact the lives of those we are serving. That we would be hope for so many just as Jesus is our constant hope. That we would make lasting impacts not only in those things that are tangible but the things that are intangible.
