Wise. My surname. My identifier. It literally means to have experience, knowledge, and good judgement. One question I sometimes hear what I tell people my last name is, “Well, are you?” Though I’ve sometimes been called mature beyond my years, I don’t know if “wise” is a word I would use to describe myself at 23 years of age. I’ve had so many great experiences in my lifetime, yet I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what the world has to offer.
Kristen is my first name, the name my parents decided to give me on the day that I was born because they couldn’t agree on anything else. I was never fond of my name. It’s average. It didn’t fit me because I didn’t feel average. It doesn’t have some fancy exotic flare that reflects my personality, and every other girl born in 1991 seems to have some variation of it. It wasn’t until I learned the true meaning behind my name that I grew to love everything about it. The meaning of the name Kristen is “Christian,” or follower of Christ. This is the part of my name that I identify with most, and hopefully the wisdom follows naturally afterward!
That being said, anyone who knows me knows that I am constantly looking for the extraordinary and trying to live my life outside of the ordinary. I come alive when I’m trying new things, going new places, and meeting new people. In some ways I consider this part of myself to be a blessing, because I’m not afraid of taking on new challenges and overcoming obstacles. In other ways, I’ve considered it to be a bit of a curse, because I have a hard time living within the bounds of a regular routine. I never understood why that facet of my personality seemed to shine so much brighter than other people’s until very recently.
I’ve always been a Christian, but about five months ago I decided to recommit my life to the Lord. Making my way on my own had gotten me nowhere that I wanted to be, so I decided to give it all up to the big man upstairs and live out the true meaning behind my name.
One of my favorite verses, Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may come to know the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” I cannot even begin to express how much God has continually blessed my life since I made the decision to change my mind and change myself. I’ve always been a positive person. I tried to make the best out of my life before I found my Father, but the truth was, I didn’t have any direction. As much as I tried to find purpose in my life, I couldn’t find anything that was truly worth living for. Well, my friends, I’ve finally found it. I hadn’t even recommitted my life to God for two months before He gave me the answer:
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THE WORLD RACE. 11 COUNTRIES. 11 MONTHS. ONE MISSION = LOVE.
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Starting in July, the next year of my life will be lived out of a tent, backpacking through 11 foreign countries, and doing all different types of mission work to glorify my Savior. The countries I’ll be visiting are South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. The mission work I’ll be doing could range anywhere from taking care of orphans who are living in a trash dump, to rebuilding churches, to teaching English.
It’s real, it’s raw, and it’s everything I’ve been searching for. God dropped the idea into my hands through a friend of mine, and within five minutes of hearing about the race I knew it was something I was going to do. Suddenly, everything about who I am made sense. God gave me this adventurous soul with a burning desire to do more because He wants to use me! It was so empowering to know that He has a purpose for everyone in this life, even me.
However, what I have to remember during the race is that nothing is about me. One thing I’ve realized is how easy it is to get wrapped up in yourself as a young twenty-something. It’s time for me to live wholly outside of my comfort zone, working selflessly for the goodness of His kingdom. I’ll be stepping out of everyday comforts and into inconvenience. I’ll be giving up a warm bed for hard floors and sleeping bags. I will be forsaking my steady income to venture the world and do His will. I want to experience every moment with an open heart and an open mind. I welcome the change God will work in the world through me, and the inevitable change that will happen in my heart.
All of this being said, 11 months and 11 countries comes with a hefty price tag. If it is on your heart and you are financially able to give, your donation would mean so much to me. It puts me one step closer to living out God’s plan for my life. If you are unable to give financially, I would appreciate your prayers. (In fact, I’d appreciate those regardless!) If it is His holy will the Lord will provide, and if it’s through you, then bless you! Thank you!
If you are called, please use the “Support Me!” tab on the left side of the screen to make a donation. If you include your name with your donation, I will gladly do a mission in your name during my time abroad.
Please watch this amazing video about The World Race to learn a little more about what it’s all about. If you’d like to follow me during Christ’s journey for me, please follow my blog! I will be posting before and during the race!
Thank you for all your love and support!
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“For so the Lord had commanded us saying, ‘I have made you a light for the people, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'”
– Acts 13:47
