My World Race was not an 11 months mission trip to lead people around the world to Christ.
My World Race was an eleven month mission trip where God lead me closer to his heart.
This trip has been far from what I expected and far from what I thought I was signing up for. A majority of that is because I came on the World Race with reading very little about what I was getting myself into. This is not an excuse but I knew God called me to this and I was still in school. I also don’t regret coming in almost blind to what this was because I feel like I had less expectations.
What I didn’t know was that the World Race is more discipleship focused. A majority of the things I have done this year were to shape and mold me as a follower of Christ.
“This was more about my internal growth than the outward good I did.”
When we can control our lives we don’t need him. So leaving for this trip separated me from the comforts and the world I knew and forced me to give up control of A LOT of things. I had little control over what and when I ate, where I slept, what I did during the day, and even what I wore sometimes. These are all basic things that we want to be in control of from day to day. I felt like I was losing my independence. It hurt me. It hurt my pride and began to break me.
Over and over again I was forced to look at the big picture. I had to first see who was in control then realize who I really needed to be in control. Throughout the year it became more than control that I needed to give up. It was vulnerability, unforgiveness, my future, and my desires.
“I had to abandon it all and allow myself to be broken. I had to become empty before I could experience freedom.”
My community has lead me closer to God.
We live in constant community. A team will eat, sleep, travel, work, and serve with one another for eleven months. While this can be exhausting and a little overwhelming at times it can make a huge impact on your race experience, and life if you aren’t doing the World Race. My community was there for the victories, laughs, and celebrations, but equally for the break downs, struggles, and battles. They were the people who were so uncomfortably close that they knew when things were going on in my head. They were the people who called me out when they knew that God created me for better things. My community brought out the best and the worst in me so that I could be carefully refined. They were the people who encouraged me to keep pushing, but were also willing to walk through things with me. They have inspired me, challenged me, and loved me.
“Ministry taught me that others have needs that are greater than mine.”
Ministry each month has been an opportunity for God to use me and allow me to serve, but it was also another avenue for God to teach me something. Ministry opened my eyes to how God is working all over the world. It taught me more about God’s character than the one perspective I had. I have seen ministry with new eyes. Ministry will now be a lifestyle for me, not a career choice or an extracurricular activity.
Throughout this year of change, shaping, and molding God has used me to impact lives along the way, but I believe my life was the one He wanted to change the most.
The World Race has been one of the greatest steps of faith I have taken in my walk with the Lord, but it won’t be the greatest for long. I truly believe that in a walk with God the best is always yet to come. Stay tuned for whats next.
{The quotes I took and slightly altered are from the book Kingdom Journeys. I highly recommend the book to anyone, and future racers you should read the book before, take it with you, and read it after.}
