I first felt the call to missions when I was 16. That summer, I attended an International Youth Convention for the Church of God in Nashville, Tennessee. During that trip, I felt so close to God, for probably what was one of the very first times. It was a small group from my church that year, only 4 youth and 2 leaders. We were an extremely close group, too. My best friend, my sister, my sister’s best friend, and myself were the youth. The leaders were two amazing women who I am still close to today. I vividly remember one service in particular. I was so happy that night. I was having so much fun with my group, I don’t think we had ever been closer, or laughed harder. And I remember looking around and thinking, wow, all of these youth are here for the same reason. I felt like I was a part of something big. And that night I heard my calling to missions.
At first I didn’t know what it was. I knew I wanted to travel and share with people the joy I had in that moment. But I was confused, not knowing if it was a call from God, or just a random thought that maybe I could combine my love of travel with my faith in God. I talked a lot with one of my leaders, and she was such a help to me, so supportive. But I still wasn’t sure.
Then I went home. And suddenly, I was surrounded by missions. One weekend I went to a small conference at a friend’s church, not knowing what it was about, only to discover it pretty much centered on missions: the importance of missions, how we can support missionaries, what missionaries do…. it was the theme of the weekend. Around that same time, we had a career missionary visiting from Uganda. She spoke one Sunday during the service, and I felt like I was on fire. I was so excited to hear what was going on. And it was while Glenna was speaking that I realized, that I wasn’t being called to just support a missionary, I was being called to get involved somehow. To go on a missions trip myself someday.
Your next question may be, why the wait? Well, it’s a good question. I knew I was called to missions when I was 16. So why am I 22 and have never done a missions trip? Well, it’s been a struggle for me, and my struggle has been with the timing of it. At first, I thought that maybe I was supposed to go before university. But I was too scared to go then; I wanted to wait until I was older, and I put it off. But then when I felt like I was ready, God told me to wait. For the last 2 years I have wanted to go, but God kept telling me to be patient. Finish school, get my degree and then leave.I did a Google search almost a year and a half ago and found the World Race. I’ve known since then that this was the trip for me, the one God is calling me to. I wanted to go right away, and God told me to wait. Trying to figure out the timing of the trip was the hardest part. The decision to follow God and apply for the World Race was easy for me. Knowing which race God was calling me to was a little more difficult. Its been a long, confusing road, but the choice is made, I’ve been accepted and I know without a doubt this is where I am supposed to be.
