For whatever reason, ever since I was accepted on the World Race, I’ve had this notion that I’m the only one going on this life-changing trip. God called me ALONE to give up everything and journey to the ends of the earth for His glory. While I knew my Heavenly Father would be traveling right beside me for the entire 11 months, I really thought it was:
Him + Me vs. The World
My fears for this trip have really been minimal; I’m mostly concerned about the living conditions (i.e. tent life) and animal life (i.e. large bugs) – yeah, I know I’m super lame. I’m at peace knowing that God will never give me more than I can handle. For this reason, I knew what to sort of expect from WR Training Camp aka a Christian summer camp filled with awesome worship, intense testimonies, young people on fire for Christ, spiritual leaders, and an inspirational speaker that would challenge my beliefs. I knew we would be camping in a Georgia forest and it would suck, but I’d get through it. For the most part, I was right.
For me, WR Training Camp wasn’t life changing. The speakers were great, but I took more mental notes than physical notes. Our living conditions changed nightly, so sometimes we slept in our tents and other nights we didn’t. The nights I didn’t sleep in my tent made me desire my tent in a way I never thought would be possible. Exercising each day? Well, that was new. Never thought I’d say I could hike two miles in 37 minutes with a 35-pound pack on my back. There are definitely bugs in Georgia, but by God’s grace, they stayed away from me (one 8-legged friend decided to give birth in another girl’s tent, yikes). Thank you Lord! The food was incredible, like honestly, I enjoyed every country’s food. The portions were intentionally tiny, so yeah I lost my love handles, but I’m definitely not mad about it. It was a typical training camp that semi-prepared us for our upcoming missions trip.
So what did God show me? He humbled me each day as I realized I’m not doing this alone. He handpicked 54 other young people to embark with me on this journey and I couldn’t possibly do this without them. These women and men of God have these incredible testimonies and spiritual gifts. I have been a Christian my entire life and realized I have SO much to learn about my faith and these people are going to teach me. These people will support me, love me, and just go through this crazy journey with me. God has not yet revealed my spiritual gifts to me, but these people are committed to holding me accountable and speaking truth into my life.
I am embarking on an 11 month kingdom journey with a wonderful group of people. It’s going to be uncomfortable. I’m not used to living in community. I’m not bringing everything that I want. Jesus instructed his disciples to discover the kingdom and to bring nothing with them. Their mission was to make more disciples and share the kingdom. That’s what we are doing. It’s going to be radical.
Him + Me + 54 Other Believers vs. The World
Watch out world!
