So to kick of this blogging thing for the Race, I'll start by sharing how I ended up on the World Race. I guess my story is more about the journey in preparing me emotionally and spiritually for the race rather than about actually deciding to sign up.
Back in February, I was not in a great place spiritually. Life was good, I still loved God, but I was operating under my flesh rather than the Spirit. I was in dental assisting school and a majority of my time was spent away from a community of strong believers, and my relationship with God was suffering as a result. I've heard it said that you cannot be stagnant in your relationship with Christ…you are either moving forward in growth or moving backward. I definitely was moving back. I was almost living two different lives, one in front of my Christian friends and one in front of my non-Christian friends. I'd stand up for God around those who already loved Him.
So one day in February, I heard a sermon at church that rocked my world. I was really convicted about the life I was living, about the strongholds that Satan had in my life. I took some time to share some of my struggles with one of my close friends. She prayed with me, encouraged me, shared the hard truth with me and just plain loved me. I repented of the mediocre life I was living and committed myself to Christ, to His will for my life.
It was amazing what a transformation took place starting that very night. I prayed like I had never prayed before. I spent my entire commute to and from school (an hour each way) praying, sometimes sitting in my car when I got to my destination because I wasn’t done praying yet. I fell in love with worship music. I was given energy like never before to handle my crazy school and work schedule. I made 4 hours of sleep a night seem like 12. Ha! I began to stand up for my beliefs. In school, I was sometimes called the ‘Jesus freak’ but it didn’t phase me at all, and my classmates began to respect me for it.
So right after graduation in June, I took a trip to Hawaii to visit a friend. I spent a lot of that trip praying that i would follow God's leading in my life, not my own. As difficult as it was, I found myself not really avidly looking for a job. I knew God had something great for me but I didn't know what it was. I looked into some different options in missions trips and internships, but never felt peace about any of them. All I was hearing from God was the word 'patience.'
In October, after four months of waiting somewhat patiently for God's leading, I found myself frustrated. I was feeling really complacent in my life, like I was doing nothing worthwhile. I shared my frustrations with my friend Anna one night and she asked me why I was hesitating to sign up for a missions trip or internship. She told me to go home and just sign up. She said that if I wanted to do something great for God, I had to step out and do it instead of continually questioning. She was pretty harsh with me, but in just the loving way I needed. I spent the rest of that night researching YWAM trips and internships at IHOP-KC, but nothing felt right, nothing gave me peace.
The next night, I was again researching YWAM trips and internships when I remembered something my friend Shelby had told me about. She had mentioned a couple of months prior that she had always wanted to go on a missions trip called the World Race and that she was just waiting to get out of the military. She told me to check it out a couple of different times, and finally I did.
Within 30 seconds of clicking on the website, I was sold. I sent Anna a text just minutes after getting on the website. “Okay, this is it. I have to do the world race. Have to.” Just one night before, she had encouraged me to step out and trust God, and here was my opportunity! I started filling out an application that very night. After talking to some close friends and getting their opinion, and most importantly getting my parent's blessing, I submitted my application and started this crazy adventure.
That leads me up to the present. I’m now getting to start walking out all of the craziness associated with something like the World Race…fundraising, figuring out how to pack, getting my paperwork in order, etc. I’m only at the very beginning of this adventure, but I have been blessed so much through it already! The next 19 months are going to be absolutely insane, and I can’t wait to live it out!
