Our route is subject to change due to various reasons, but at the time of this posting, my squad will be traveling to three different continents. In Africa, we will be serving the people of Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. In South East Asia, we will be serving the people of the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia. We will finish the year in South America serving the people of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
Shortly after I answer the above question, people often follow up with, “Did you get to choose where you go?”
Yes and no.
To start the application process, prospective Racers apply for one of the pre-planned routes listed on the World Race website, so while I did not get to choose the specific countries, I was able to choose my route.
I chose my route based on three criteria:
- Launch Date
I knew the Race was going to be a year long commitment, so to help me grasp the “year” mentality, I only looked at routes that launched in January. - Number of continents visited
My thought was “if I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna really do this.” This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I want to experience as many different continents and cultures as possible, so I looked at routes that would serve on three continents.
- Routes that did NOT include Malaysia
During my senior year of college, I had to take a course, Global Perspectives, in which we were each assigned a country to research, write all of our papers with this country in mind, and do a presentation on at the end of the semester. I was assigned Malaysia. I tried to get into my research and contact people in Malaysia to do interviews with for three weeks, but I just did NOT have a heart for this country. I dropped the class and took it again the following semester.Also, Malaysia loses planes. Yes, p-l-a-n-e-s, as in more than one.
(While my heart breaks for those who morn the loss of loved ones, this knowledge does not improve my opinion of Malaysia.)You know how I mentioned routes are subject to change at the beginning of this post? Yeah… it will not surprise me one bit if God changes our route, and we end up serving in Malaysia. God has a way of changing hearts to be more like His and love the people He loves.
With these criteria in mind, I prayerfully narrowed down my selection to January 2016 Route 3 or January 2016 Route 4. I was more drawn to Route 3 but accidently (on purpose by God’s providence?) selected Route 4 when filling out my application. And after getting to know other members of my squad, I know God directed me to the right route. Over half of us have experience with and a passion for individuals with developmental disabilities, and I can’t tell you how much this excites and encourages me! God is going to do great things with D Squad 2016!
