What better day to officially announce that I am going on THE WORLD RACE than today?! Today * marks 6 months until I will leave for 11 months to serve God in 11 different countries. Can you believe it? Because I am not really sure I can yet!
During my time on the World Race I will be serving on September Route 3 which means I will be in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe! What a list! In these countries we will be serving God by serving others. Each day will look different and we do not know exactly what we will be doing yet! Past routes have worked with churches, done construction work, fought against human trafficking, held VBS, taught a variety of subjects, and built relationships with people around the world! My squad will look forward to doing these things and more!
Since graduating from Virginia Tech in December, I have had a lot of people ask me what I am planning on doing with my life now. I always answered the question with “Well, I think” or “I might,” but now I can finally say “I know!” I am following God’s plan for my life and heading to the mission field.
In 2010, shortly after graduating high school, I was blessed to be able to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my high school’s baseball team. It was a time in my life where there were a lot of transitions. I was about to go from a small high school to a large university. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I had a switch in friend groups. Before going to the DR, I was lost. I was probably more lost than I was willing to admit. However, on that trip I finally received some clarity. Sitting at a special needs orphanage with a little girl laying across my lap I heard God tell me that this is His plan for my life. He wanted me to serve others that are less fortunate than I. My future career path may still be physical therapy like I believe He put on my heart, but right now His plan for me is to go on the World Race. I am ready to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
*So technically it was 6 months from yesterday when I was originally planning on posting the blog. With the inclement weather approaching, I had to last minute drive across VA and it postponed my posting.
If you would like to support me on my journey there are many different options:
PRAYER– My squad and I will need A LOT of prayer! We will be facing many different challenges on our trip. We need prayers for health, safety, flexibility, and a willingness to listen to God and follow what He asks us to do. Before we leave, we will also need prayer that we can reach our fundraising goals. Each one of us has to raise more than $16,000 in support!
Encouragement– Along with prayer this will also be very important. Because I will often be out of my comfort zone and vulnerable to new challenges I would love to hear some encouragement and support! Please feel free to comment on my blog or send me messages on Facebook 🙂
Fundraising– As I mentioned, I will have to raise over $16,000 in support over the course of this year in order to go on the World Race. There are many ways you can help. First, you can donate online if you go to the Support Me tab on my blog. I will also be sending out support letters in the next week, which will have information about cash or check donations. If you would like to receive a support letter, please send your addresses to me over Facebook messaging or email ([email protected]). Over the next 6 months I am also hoping to sell t-shirts and have events to help raise money for the trip. I will keep you all posted. Lastly, I will need to get gear including a backpack, a tent, a bed roll, and other items to assist in living simply as we serve. If you choose to help me in this manner I will be posting a link to an REI and Amazon wishlist on my next blog post!
Thank you so much for all of the support!
