So I’m actually really excited to share this blog with you guys 🙂
Africa had never been a place I felt “called to.” I have heard some people talk in the past about how they just HAD to get to Africa one day… that wasn’t me. Africa seemed sandy, dry, and a little too exotic for me. I really don’t know why it seemed that way, it just did.
So when I decided I wanted to go on the race, and the January 2015 routes hadn’t been posted yet, I decided I’d probably be okay if my route DIDN’T go to Africa. But a friend of a friend is on the race now, and she left this January (2014). Where was her first month? South Africa. I read her blogs about how she was teaching in a school for the month, and I thought: Hey! That seems pretty cool. I mean I am in school for education, so the teaching thing kinda speaks to me. So then I thought, I guess if Africa is on my route, that’d be okay!
After applying to the race, I still hadn’t told many people that I did. I was nervous to talk about my excitement towards the WR and then be put in a position to tell people later that I had been rejected. However, I was student teaching this semester and my phone interview for the race was in the afternoon. Late enough that it wouldn’t interfere with the school day, early enough that I’d have to leave after school planning early. So I was in a dilemma: I had to tell my mentor teacher about the interview. God works in mysterious ways, because she then proceeded to tell me about some friends (a married couple) who had just completed their own WR!
So of course, I had to stalk their blogs. And what I found brought tears to my eyes. Now I had cried over the WR before. (Mainly the thought of leaving my family and Pretzel for that long makes me cry.) But this was the first time I watched a video that made me cry. This video was filmed in Africa, highlighting what ministry looked like in Swaziland. Now at this point, I knew the route I was applying for would go to Africa. I also knew it would go to Swaziland. But for the first time in my life, my heart broke for Africa. I think it was the smiling children in the video that did it. This video made me fall in love with Swaziland (my month 9: September 2015) before I’ve even arrived. So without further ado, just watch. You won’t regret it.
In the video above, the couple’s team spent their month working at a carepoint for the Swazi children. Another ministry that is typical of teams travelling to Swaziland, is working at the El Shaddai orphanage. Through blogs and videos, I’ve also fallen in love with this place. So even if I DON’T get put in this orphanage for ministry during my trip with the WR, I feel pretty confident that it’s a place I’ll visit before I die.
To read about ministry and miracles that happen at El Shaddai, check out this racer’s blog. I don’t know if I can stress this enough: IF YOU ARE A READER OR NOT, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BLOG. Take the time, do it, you won’t regret it. If you don’t believe miracles happen in today’s world, read the blog!
http://updates.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-year-of-prayer-results-in-a-miracle-kevin-is-healed
And this, folks, is why I want to do the World Race. Because I believe that going out there, praying over the people I meet, and sharing the love of Christ with them can bring miracles.
If you feel that more stories like this are possible, and it’s something you’d want to support, please consider donating towards my trip by clicking the “Support Me” link on the left hand side of the page.
Matthew 19:14 – Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
