Hello family, friends, and other curious readers! Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read my FIRST post!
Most people have responded with “You’re doing what??” after I say “I’m doing The World Race!” No, this is not The Amazing Race, and no I’m not going to be on TV. 🙂
Come the first week of January, I will be getting on a plane with a one way ticket in hand; the beginning of a journey called The World Race– a Christian mission trip to “11 countries in 11 months,” through the missions organization Adventures in Missions.
During my 11 months on the field, I will be traveling with my team to serve in partnership with churches and ministries at the community level. My team and I will be in the following countries on the January 2017 Expedition route: Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Spain, and Morocco. Can you pronounce the names of all of those countries? Me neither.. These are some of the least traveled countries in the world.
Here is the description of my route:
“This Expedition will serve throughout the 10/40 window, the most unreached area in the world. Out of 4.75 billion people living in this region, most have never been exposed to the Gospel. Pioneering into several new World Race countries, this route will have a greater focus on adventure and abandonment. It will be intentionally challenging and physically demanding, traveling vast distances over land and sea. This route requires a high level of physical endurance, adaptability, leadership, and spiritual maturity.”
Expedition is unique in that there isn’t always a plan. There isn’t always a destination, a host family, or an interpreter. Our mission is to spread love and make connections with people and places that haven’t heard the Gospel, plant churches, serve in orphanages, and minister to women and children trapped in prostitution as a result of human trafficking. These are just a few large picture examples of the work we may be doing. Every month will look different though, and the work we do will depend greatly on the needs of the countries and communities as well as the gifts my team possesses.
I was approached by the mobilizers on this route, who thought I’d be a good fit for the unique challenges of Expedition. It wasn’t my plan; I was originally accepted to a different January route. I’m still not sure why this opportunity presented itself to me, but I know who put it there.
The thing that pulled me to The World Race and Adventures in Missions and set them apart from other opportunities, is their commitment to not only serving those we are reaching around the world, but looking at how the race will change us as missionaries as well. Their hope and part of their mission is that the race will be the beginning of a lifelong journey of service and faithfulness.
“There is a generation of radicals whose heartbeat is to see a changed world. It’s a generation that’s dissatisfied with the status quo and is actively rising to the challenge of seeing the world transformed through tangible expressions of God’s love. World Racers are seeing lives changed in nations all over the world.”
As our lives are changed too.
