Last December I knew. I knew the Lord was calling me to overseas missions after graduation. I had no idea what that would look like, where it would be, or what it would entail. All I could comprehend was that God wanted me to surrender my life to Him. God was calling me to sacrifice ease, to abandon comfort, and to get up and labor all for the glory of His name: to know and love Him more, to share that love, and to make His name known. Because He is worth it. I was at a Christmas conference with my college ministry, and it was there that I signed a small sheet of paper committing to one year of full time missions after graduation. This was an idea I had minimally thought through before that moment, but felt moved by the Holy Spirit to sign my name across the dotted line and make a commitment to the Lord. So here I am, almost a year later with graduation looming in my near future.
The World Race. 11 countries, 11 months. How did I get here?
I heard about The World Race about a year ago but never really gave it much thought. It wasn’t until this past August that I really began to see the crazy work God does through this trip. I instantly fell in love with the idea of serving the Lord and His people on The World Race. After submitting my application, going through the interview process, and getting accepted I was told I had two weeks to make the decision of whether or not I was going to go. TWO WEEKS! For the first week and a half, I was pretty dead set on accepting my acceptance. However, as time went on I began to feel much less at ease about this trip. I began to feel the fear and the reality of what going on The World Race means. Was I really willing to give up a year of my life in such an extreme way? To leave my family and friends for a year? To have nothing to call my own except a 40lb backpack?
Yes.
Because He is worth it.
I would have to say that what Jesus did for us, for me, was pretty extreme. He picked up His cross in every sense of the word. He left His heavenly throne and entered into a painful, tempting life on earth fully aware of what had to be done. He died so that we could live. Lord Jesus I now live, because you have died. Because you freely gave your life to me, I choose to freely give mine to you.
“ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
Matthew 16:24-26
The journey starts now. I am embarking on a new journey with Jesus. One that will eventually bring me to Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, China, Nepal, India, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Ukraine, and Romania. But it starts right now, right here in Normal, IL with a completely surrendered heart.
Love, Kara
