So there are many people out there who want to know how I was called to do the world race, so I will give you the best answer I can. After making the commitment to follow the Lord 2 years ago (I mean really follow the Lord, not just showing up to church on Sundays, but developing a relationship with Him, turning from my old ways, and living as much like Him as possible) I began reading the bible and studying what the word had to say. I was overwhelmed with what we as Christians are called to do, but not in a bad way where I felt I had to do it just because the Bible said so, I felt overwhelmed in a good way. I wanted to feed the poor and take care of orphans; I wanted to be the hands and feet of Christ. I felt a burden, not only for those around me, but for people that I had never met. I thought about how many people were dying every day without knowing God’s love simply because of a lack of obedience. I wasn’t really sure where to get started, but in church one Sunday they were talking about an upcoming mission trip to Haiti, so I emailed someone to get information and I never heard anything back. I was confused, but just figured it was not a part of God’s plan for me at the time. Since that did not work out I began searching for mission trips on Google (2 years ago) and came across the world race. I remember looking at it and thinking how cool it looked, but that I would never leave home for a whole year. Needless to say I did not end up going on a mission trip that year. The next summer (summer 2012) I got an internship working for Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association. After working there, my interest in missions was piqued again. A couple who I worked with had a daughter that was overseas in Africa and I remember thinking how awesome it would be to do that. But I put it out of my mind again until about a month ago, I was browsing on Facebook and came across the page of someone who had gone on the world race, I went to the website and began blog stalking everyone I could. I read blogs for hours and hours and decided 2 days later to submit an application and the rest is all a blur. It is a total God thing. I could not go through this process on my own strength. I think that the reason the other mission trips did not work out was because God was still preparing me, he used my internship to emphasize the importance of relationships and gave me the building blocks for this journey.
Now a lot of people want to know why I can’t just stay here to do mission work, but that is not an easy question to answer if you have never heard from God personally. I feel that this is what he has called me to do and he reassures me of it daily. It is interesting when I think back to several years ago; I have never had a desire to travel, yet whenever I would think about myself after college, I would always picture myself in another country doing mission work. Just another way God has showed me where he wants me to be. I have come to realize everything in life turns out so much better when I follow God’s plan for my life and not my own.
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
