Hey everyone!
So this is my first blog post on here, I can tend to be pretty wordy, so i’ll try and just give you some facts to start off with…. trust me there will be more to come:)
I am 22 years old and I live in Portland, OR. I don’t know where exactly i would say my hometown is, but Raleigh has a special place in my heart. My sister and I moved to Portland, after spending several years in Raleigh, so that we could spend more time with our family. It was hard leaving Raleigh, our best friends and church families, but we felt like our family here needed some loving and that really either decision we made God could use us if we were willing. I haven’t ever had a moment where i regretted coming out to POrtland, and I love being here more and more everyday.
I’ve felt like for the past several weeks that although I am loving Portland, and there are so many good things going on in my life, that now is the perfect time for me to GO. I’m single, don’t have a specific career planed out, or other obligations that would prevent me from just picking up and going to follow wherever it is God wants to lead me and teach me in this time. I have so many things I’m passionate about, but I still don’t feel like I know what all my random and assorted gifts will be best used for. I know ultimately I want to glorify God in whatever I’m doing, but the details are still quite fuzzy. I’m looking forward to being pulled out of my comfort zone on the World Race, to God breaking my heart for what his heart breaks for, to being encouraged by other believers around the world, and to really encourage and hold accountable my teammates, and the people we meet and get to spend a small part of life with. I am hoping, believing with great expectancy, that my life will be changed and transformed in such a way that it’s impossible to return to the state I was in before. I can’t wait to be away from the many distractions that have been a part of my life since I can’t even remember when, cell phones, my messy room, window shopping, over-working, and just everything else in between.
I’m looking forward to seeing how people interact with God and have a relationship with him all over the world, so many new and exciting cultures, learning new languages, and how to communicate with people of a very different background than myself, hopefully being taught how to cook all around the world, and being able to cook and serve some yummy treats myself, seeing a sunrise and sunset across the globe, living out of my backpack, being a little more dirty and unkempt than usual, caring for widows and orphans- I cannot wait to play with all the kids! Getting to know my teammates, and really letting them in to get to know me.
I think the hardest part of leaving is going to be saying goodbye to my friends and family for almost a year, so if you’re reading please keep up with my blogs, please write to me often, and please pray for me. I will definitely be praying for you all. xoxoox
Rach
