I leave the United States tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning my squad and I will be headed down to the Dominican Republic for the first month of our World Race adventure. I’m beyond excited, yet I don’t think it’s fully set it in yet. I mean, I’m traveling the world for a year…I don’t think it’ll fully hit me until a few months from now. But I do know that I’m VERY EXCITED!
As I have been preparing for the last few months, I have been asked a few questions over and over. So, I thought I’d write a blog about them, just in case you haven’t gotten the chance to ask me yet. I figure I can answer everyone at once with this handy-dandy blog! 🙂
1. Why are you leaving America, when there is so much need here?
This question is asked pretty often actually, and I could answer this question in many different ways. In fact, I could probably rant about it for a couple hours, or write a doctoral dissertation on it. To say I have some passion about this topic is an understatement. However, I’ll boil it down to the root behind my passion.
Jesus has called me to the nations.
You are absolutely right when you say there is need here in America, because there is. However, there are also many resources here to help people in need. Many, many, many more than most countries. Somehow it just gets pains my heart to see children dying of malaria because they don’t have $5 for medication, when I spend more than that at McDonalds on a value meal.
But more than that, is I know that I’m called to share Christ’s love with nations around the world. There are churches on every street corner here in America, and many opportunities for people to here about Jesus. It’s extremely rare to find someone in the States who doesn’t know the basics of Jesus.
Then you look at other countries around the world. There are SO many people who have never heard the name of Jesus. They know nothing about Him at all. That shatters my heart in a thousand pieces, and those are the people I want to dedicate my life to reaching; those are the people I’m called to reach. I have found relationship with the Savior and creator of the universe, why wouldn’t I want to share that with the world?
2. What if you get a serious disease, or even die?
Well, I mean if it happens, it happens. That is something I have little control over. I am taking the appropriate precautions to avoid that happening, but ultimately you just never know. However, I have full confidence that the Lord is my protector and my healer. The most repetitive commandment in the Bible is “Do not fear”, listed 365 times. When the God of angel armies is protecting me, nothing seems quite as scary.
Also in America you can get shot while watching Batman, going to school, or entering a mall. You can die in a car wreck driving to work. You can get a disease by doing nothing at all. So in the grand scheme of things, I would rather live my life according to God’s will. Living in fear out of His will, just in case something bad could happen, doesn’t seem like a good life to me.
3. Do you think you’ll ever get married?
Wanting to be a missionary is not a death sentence to future relationships. I’m not committing to be a nun, or a life of singleness. I’ve committed to 1 year of singleness.
The amount of times I got asked this question recently actually really shocked me. It became a running joke in my family, where they would ask me how many times I got married off today. People I don’t even really know would ask me this! I mean, I’m not offended or anything, just very surprised.
I’ve committed to staying single until I believe I’ve found the person I’m going to marry. I’m not ready to get married yet, therefore it’s not a priority to me right now.
One day I want to get married, and have a lovely little missionary family. However, it’s in God’s timing, not mine. If He has me wait until I’m 30, that’s fine. If He wants me to get married in 2 years, that’s fine too. But right now, I’m called to a year of singleness to go on the World Race.
So those are my most frequently asked questions, which I hope you enjoyed! If you have any other questions for me and other World Racers, let me know and I’ll be happy to answer them!
As for now, I’m off to Central America! 😀
