I’ve always wanted to do this, to travel around the world
experiencing new cultures and new cities. When I heard about the World Race I
thought it was a dream come true…traveling with a purpose, spreading God’s
love and mercy to those who are lost and also being able to see a variety of new
places. It’s been almost three weeks and I’m still thoroughly enjoying myself, but
something seems off.
imagined my travels so often that they became real to me. I pictured myself
getting off a ten hour bus ride to Belize and meeting up with other backpackers
and touring the local sites. I pictured myself riding on a train from Stuttgart
to Pisa reading books and watching the countryside go by. I pictured myself downtown
Tokyo standing in awe at the masses of people and the bombardment of lights and
sounds from all directions. I pictured myself changing plans at the last minute
when I met an interesting fellow backpacker and hopping on a bus to Lisbon
instead of Madrid. I pictured the freedom, the ever changing plans, the other
backpackers that would start off as strangers but become instant friends and
confidants. Now I’m doing what I’ve always wanted, but it doesn’t look like
what I thought it would.
I occasionally find myself wishing that I was able to pick up and go
like all the other backpackers, to have no responsibilities, no schedules, no
commitments. But then I am reminded of the fact that I’m not the average
backpacker. I may have a 45 pound bag that I
carry on my back, but that doesn’t
make me a typical backpacker. I’m here for a different reason, a more important
reason. I still think that one day I will fulfill my desire to “backpack”
across the globe, but that time is not right now. Right now I’m here on a
purpose, I’m here to serve the Lord in whatever capacity I can. Whether it’s
working with a local church, helping to rebuild a house, or loving on lonely
children, I’m here to show God’s love. Even though I find myself getting
slightly frustrated at times, I know deep down that this is so much more
meaningful, more important, more lasting than simply backpacking from place to
place. There is definitely a time for that, but right now my time belongs to
the Lord and I’m following his plans, not my own.
Please continue to pray for me as I deal with this issue of not
being a backpacker. Pray that I would dive head first into God’s plans this
year and not continue to look around and think what I would do differently if I
was here on my own.
