What’s up ya’ll?
Here’s the first of what should be many entries to this
blog, and to start out I should probably go ahead and knock out the get to know
me facts. My name is Steven Reed. I am 23 years old. I was born in Florida, but moved to Georgia when I was 2 and have lived
here ever since. I grew up in an awesome family, I am the oldest of 3 children,
and I have two of the best parents a guy could ask for. My childhood is full of many fond memories,
many of which are sports related. I started playing soccer at age 5, and played
that till I was in 8th grade. Throughout my elementary and middle
school years my family was constantly traveling with me on weekends to soccer
tournaments all over the southeast. In 5th grade I picked up
basketball, and eventually gave up soccer to pursue this. I played all through
high school at Providence
Christian Academy
in Lilburn. Even today basketball is still my favorite sport to play. I made
many friends in my childhood that I still have today.
My family and grandparents about a year ago.
I recently graduated from the University of Georgia
this past August, with a degree in International Affairs. College was the time
of my life; I experienced highs and lows, and it was an experience I will never
forget. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my Saturday’s in the fall
besides waking up at the crack of dawn, going to Waffle House with my roommate,
walking to campus, tailgating all day, then cheering on my Dawgs on the
football field at Sanford Stadium. It was a ritual that has become engrained in
me, and even now as I have moved away from Athens, I still find myself making the trip
back most gameday Saturdays. While at UGA I was also able to study abroad in New Zealand and Australia during the spring 2009
semester. This was one of the most awesome experiences of my life, and it
really served to encourage my passion for other cultures and people.
home with my parents. Currently I am working at Outback Steakhouse, a job I
have had on and off since high school. Although the restaurant business isn’t
for everyone, it has been an arena of my life that I have enjoyed and thrived
in. It is not a struggle to go to work at all, and I have been blessed to have
had this job available for over four years. My time at home has been
refreshing, and given me a new perspective about who I want to be and what
plans God has for my future, specifically the World Race!
Let me just start out by saying straight off that I have
never wanted to be a missionary and have never always felt called to the
mission field. To me, this was a job reserved for “super Christians”. But as I
have found out, once I let go of my own plans and ideas of a future, God has
been able break through all of my expectations and insecurities and make clear
that this is His plan for me. My friend initially told me about the World Race
this summer, and mentioned that it was something that she was going to be
applying for. For me, it sounded like an incredible program, and a sense of
adventure always grabs my attention as it is, but I pushed aside any thoughts
of it being for me. Besides, my plan consisted of saving up money, moving to New Zealand in
February, finding a part time job, working and traveling the country with only
a backpack. I still have a passion for New Zealand, and may still end up
there someday, but God had more imminent plans for me. About a month ago, I
found out that my friend who had initially told me about the World Race had
been accepted, and was leaving in the January group. Again I pushed any notions
of it being for me aside, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Finally, after
some good talks with my friend and with each of my parents, I realized that
maybe this was for me after all. Yet something was still holding me back: my
insecurity. I couldn’t grasp the idea that God would want to use me, with all
my flaws and weaknesses. A text message from my friend after I had expressed
some of my fears to her sums it all up for me:
“This isn’t the ‘I’ve got it all together mission trip’. It’s
the ‘I’m messed up but God’s not’ mission trip.”
This truth really hit home with me. Who am I to question
God’s ability to use me for His purposes? To let my fears get in the way would
be a mistake, to say the least. I decided to apply, and the rest is history. It
is amazing to me how much I have known that this is what God wants me to do,
and I have felt more confidence and peace about the decision to pursue the
World Race than I have ever felt before. I am excited to begin the process of
raising support and getting ready for the trip. I just wish July would get here
sooner!
And now for some random insights into me:
attended going back to 7th grade. My oldest movie stub is Pearl Harbor, and my first concert stub is from Third
Day.
– Along with being a Georgia Bulldogs fan, I also love the
Atlanta Braves and North Carolina Tar Heels. I would consider myself a
fair-weather Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Hawks fan, given that those two tend
to disappoint me greatly.
– Music is a huge passion of mine, but sadly I have never
played an instrument. My favorite bands are Guster and Radiohead.
– I have recently picked up as a hobby climbing Stone Mountain in the morning. For those of you who
aren’t familiar with this, it is a random piece of granite (the world’s
largest, actually) about 15 minutes from my house. It’s actually a pretty
whimpy little mountain, but makes for a good sunrise hike.
– I feel most alive in New Zealand and at an incredible
concert, each in its own way.
– I hate getting a haircut, yet I constantly feel like I
could use a good one. It really does seem like the biggest waste of money.
– I also hate going to the dentist.
– While in Australia,
a friend of mine and myself made a video entitled “How to eat a jar of
Vegemite.” It consisted of us dressing up in Speedos with Australian flags and
trying to show the world that a jar of Vegemite could in fact be consumed. We
tried many different methods, including trying to water the Vegemite down into
a sort of broth. Needless to say, we failed miserably, and to this day I am
convinced that Vegemite is the worst concoction known to man.
– Speaking of Australia, one of my goals in life
is to take a trip by myself to Ayers Rock in the Australian Outback.
– I am a night owl. I stay up very late and also sleep just
as late.
**To my fellow Racers: Please feel free to get in touch with
me, I’d love to get to know some of you before Training Camp!**
Cheers,
Steven Reed
