Here we go, first blog post!
People’s reactions are so interesting to me. I have gotten quite a range of them, as the World Race has been brought up in many discussions over the last month or so. Here are a few typical responses:
“You’re doing what?!”
“You know you could get Ebola/ Yellow Fever/ Malaria and die?!”
“I’m so proud of you! This is such a cool opportunity!”
“Why don’t you just go to college next year? You can study abroad for a semester!”
“Wow, good for you, you must be a really awesome and righteous person!”
“You don’t even know what countries you’re going to yet? And you’re okay with that?”
“Why are you wasting all the effort you put in as a high school student?”
To be fair, most people are supportive. But almost everyone asks this question: Why am I doing this? Well, I’ll tell ya. I want to be used. I want to be obedient. I want to follow the Great Commission in radical ways. I want to love on people, I want to see more of God’s creation, and I want to go wherever God calls me. I want the “full life” that Jesus promises His followers. I am confidently stepping out in faith and following God’s call for my life.
God has placed deep inside of me a compassion for the sick, the poor and the lost. It breaks my heart to think that some people in this world cannot even fathom a heavenly Father who loves them because they’ve never known love. With that in mind, I can’t sit here anymore. I want to be the literal hands and feet of Christ, going to these people and showing them Christ’s love.
My heart has been burdened for this for a long time. God gave me a desire to help these people and a yearning to see more of His creation for a specific reason. The first time I heard of the World Race, I was a high school freshman. It was one of those things where I was researching mission opportunities, because I knew that was where I’d been called, and I stumbled upon the website. I thought it sounded like an awesome opportunity… something I would look into perusing after I reached the required age of 21.
I had always considered taking a gap year in general as a probable option. Turns out, there are hundreds of programs for people who do not want to jump straight into college. I researched and found some really neat ones that sounded interesting, most of them being cultural immersions. Although they seemed like perfect opportunities, I did not feel peace with any program I’d found.
So I figured I’d go back to Plan A and head straight into college. If you had asked me a few months ago, I would tell you that I had a handful of colleges that I was prepared to apply to in the fall… and it was very unlikely I would be taking a gap year. But this is where God’s sense of humor came in!
I came across the World Race website “randomly” again a few weeks before this school year started. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw one of the headlines: Announcing the World Race Gap Year! The minimum age for this program is 18. What?! This is perfect! I immediately knew I would have to apply when the application opened.
By the time the day of the application opening rolled around, I thought to myself… “Who knows if I’ll even get accepted? If this is truly where God wants me next year, I’ll get in.” I quickly filled out the application, completed the online interview, and got an acceptance call five short days later!
There are times when I think, “Am I the right person for the job?” But then I think of the story of Moses, when he didn’t think God had right person. Moses had a few flaws, like his speech impediment. I have a ton of flaws. But then God used Moses to do great, unexplainable things through His power! God loves to use ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes.
Did you catch that? I’m ordinary. I am nothing special. I am simply saying “yes” to what God has asked me to do. I am unworthy of this opportunity, but God has chosen to bless me with it! It is humbling to be chosen.
The Race starts now. I’m standing here at the starting line. It is overwhelming and exciting and scary all at the same time.
Reality has begun to set in. I really am leaving behind the comforts of suburbia, not to mention my friends and family, for an entire nine months. I am the only one of my friends not heading to college next year. It is going to be hard (but rewarding) on the mission field. I am stepping into the unknown.
It is going to be a challenging year on so many levels. There are a few ways you can partner with me on this crazy adventure that God has called me to.
The first is through prayer. Pray that The Lord would be continually molding me into who He has called me to be. Pray for my team, even though I haven’t met them yet. Pray that He would be at work inside them, too. Pray that God would also be at work in the nation to which I will travel. Most of all, pray that through this entire process, The Lord would receive glory and honor. This is for Him, not for me.
The second is financially. I know that God is going to use this time of preparation to teach me how to better trust Him. I have to fundraise a total of $12,500 by September, with a few deadlines tossed in between! I believe that The Lord will indeed provide in full, and I believe that He can do this through you! Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this way? If you feel called or are interested in supporting my trip, it is super easy! You can click on the tab that says “Support Me” on the left and donate there.
You can also subscribe to this blog. It’s pretty convenient, you can sign up for a text or email notification whenever I post another blog! To do this, click the “Follow Me” tab to your right, and enter your email address or phone number. I will do my best to keep it updated, on and off the field, to keep y’all in the loop!
