September 2013
I have only vague impressions of what I felt hearing about The World Race for the first time. I think this might have everything to do with not immediately recognizing it as something that I would be doing eventually or, at the very least, something that I might want to do at all.
It was in the afternoon, or perhaps early evening (like I said, vague impressions), and I was catching up on the laundry list of blogs I keep up with. Richelle’s was always one of my favorites—I think I enjoyed and envied her unabashed celebration of the things of God, because I was so inhibited.
But there I was, sitting at the kitchen island in my parent’s home (don’t take my word for it, though; I could just as well have been sitting in my basement room—vague impressions, remember), slowly scrolling down this incredibly lengthy post that I should’ve skimmed over if my generation’s aggressive aversion to reading anything longer than 150 characters is any indicator. Yet, I was oddly arrested, and I read every word of that blog post.
***
A segue:
I think, for the most part, the things that trigger important epochs in our lives often sidle up to us; they rarely barge in. Barging in is intrusive and hard to miss, but sidling up is quiet and hardly noticeable. So it is only in retrospect that we’re able to detect catalysts of that nature—well after the upheaval has occurred or begun.
Reading Richelle’s blog post was my sidling-up-epoch-triggering moment.
***
In the days following this first exposure to The World Race, I couldn’t stop hearing about it. It found its way into just about every conversation I was involved in, and most of the time without my prompting. They call it a baader-meinhof phenomenon—this condition of hearing about something for the first time, and then repeatedly encountering it not long after.
Suddenly, the World Race was featuring in conversations with old friends, new acquaintances, and perfect strangers. It headlined in all of my thoughts; it overshadowed every other topic in my prayers. It exhilarated and terrified me at the same time because I was afraid to get too attached if it turned out He wasn’t for it. Everything depends on His approval.
***
This is important:
My sister and I have this tradition of visiting places where movies have been filmed. Our inaugural trip was to Savannah, GA to visit the movie sites of The Last Song and Forrest Gump. It was either on our ride there or on the one back that I heard Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) for the first time.
***
Approximately two weeks—that’s how much time passed between hearing about The Race and applying for it. The final push came one night while I was in the shower. I was praying (because that’s the thing to do while you’re showering apparently); I was full of angst and indecision and impatience (let’s be honest). I wanted to know, and I wanted to know now. The prayers got mixed up in sobs, and the sobs became gradual shouting of the words to the bridge of that song:
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wonder
And my faith would be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Now I don’t know about you, but hearing a song a couple times during a 5-hour drive is not enough to have a goodly bit of it memorized, especially when you’re like me and insist on making up your own words. But I was singing it in that shower that night—somehow, by some miracle. Once I got over the shock of realizing that the results for Googling the lyrics matched what I had been singing, it was very clear to me what my next steps would be. They’ve led me inexorably to this point.
November 2014
Since getting accepted, I’ve taken many hard spiritual knocks that eventually caused me to switch routes (to be logical, I told myself, but the truth is I was deeply afraid and mistrustful of His plan). The Holy Spirit has also affirmed this decision many times over, including a word that was said over me to “go out and conquer.” I have this assurance and peace about what He’s calling me into; and happily, my excitement has finally overtaken my fear.
***
A few parting thoughts:
It is not for nothing that He gave me a personality prone to wanderlust; it is not for nothing that He gave me a heart for justice. It is also not for nothing that He redeemed me and set me apart for His kingdom and purpose. Far be it from me to make nothing of any of it. Obedience, then, is my only plan of action from here on out.
My launch date is set for January 6th, but in order for me to actually go out and conquer, I have to meet my second financial deadline. If at any point during this narrative you felt a pull to support me financially, I want to urge you to be obedient to that instruction. Otherwise, your prayers for my team, my squad, my route, and me are always and greatly coveted. I trust God, who in His faithfulness will meet all of my needs for the calling He’s placed over my life; and I maintain that it is a privilege to be used by Him in whatever capacity. As His true followers, we should never drag our feet in fulfilling His mandates. Nothing is more important.
