AHHH my first blog! I’m kind of new to this whole blogging thing, so hang in there with me while I try to get the contents of my heart on to these pages for you.
For those of you who know me, you know that I am a high-school SENIOR this year!!! Hallelujah! And let’s be honest. Most of you expected me to go to a lovely, not-too-far-away-college to get my nursing degree and live happily ever after, right? Well, so did I. That was THE PLAN. But it turns out that the God I am so passionately in love with had a very different and extraordinary direction for me to follow.
I spent hours upon hours trying to find the college that would be the best fit for me. It’s what juniors and seniors do! But none of my college searching and career planning ever felt right to me. I was restless and I felt God calling and stirring me to do something different. That’s when I stumbled upon an opportunity called, The World Race. I fell in love with this ministry and my restless heart suddenly settled into peaceful assurance, knowing that God had directed my research and that this is what I was being called into.
So for those who are wondering, what exactly is the World Race? Well I am going on the World Race Gap Year. I will be going to five different countries in nine months spreading God’s love and helping those in need.. Those countries are….drumroll please….THAILAND, CAMBODIA, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, and ETHIOPIA!!!!
What will you be doing?
I will be traveling in a group called a “squad” of around fifty-five young adults. From that group, I will be placed into a team of seven or eight other people. Individual ministry during the World Race can look vastly different each day. I could be teaching in elementary schools, serving in orphanages, ministering to women and children who’ve been trapped in human trafficking, preaching the gospel, helping with construction projects and youth ministry and anything else that is needed of us. We will be spreading God’s love and serving the least of these.
Why are you doing this?
I seem to get that question a lot and I’m sure you are wondering the same thing! There’s no doubt about it, the World Race is an adventure of a lifetime. But it is an adventure that is not for the faint of heart. My comfort will be relegated to the bottom of the totem pole as I will have to leave my family and friends for nine solid months. I can only take a stringently packed backpack with me ( I’m a person who usually takes around 14 suitcases to spend the weekend at my grandmothers) and will be traveling to risky places where safety cannot be promised.I have to forfeit going to college with all my friends and I will be placed in environments where countless snakes and spiders thrive ( help me, Lord). This isn’t going to be an easy journey. I am fully aware that I will face many situations where I will be completely out of my comfort zone. So again you might ask, why are you doing this?
Here’s the thing. There are so many people in this world who are suffering and who long to experience the love God can give them. I so want to be Jesus’s hands and feet. I want be a disciple for him and go out to the nations and share the gospel. I want to show and share the love of Jesus. There is so much relentless evil in the world. It lurks everywhere. But I have the choice and the chance to be a light into the world. I have the choice to make a lasting difference. My heart has always been drawn towards and involved in ministry. Some of you saw how I changed after my first trip to Uganda, Africa. You see my eyes light up when there is a guest speaker from Guatemala at church. I know there is suffering and heartache going on in the world and God seems to break my heart for those who are hurting. I know there are people who are living in complete filth. I know there are people who are being horrifically persecuted for their faith. I know there are children dying from preventable causes everyday. I know there are countless girls who are locked into the trade of sex trafficking. I know there is so much darkness and loss of hope in people’s minds and hearts. And I must take action. God put a passion in my heart to help those in need. To love the untouchables. To embrace the unwanted. To help the helpless. To share the gospel to those who haven’t heard.
How can I support you?
In order to go on this mission trip, I have to raise a substantial amount of funds to cover my airplane tickets, food, in-country transportation, housing, and other inevitable expenses.. I need to raise around $14,900. And yes, I know that is a lot of money! Believe me, I was hesitant to go through with this because of the daunting cost.. But I know that if this is God’s will for my life, he will surely provide for me. I remember one day I was taking a walk outside and telling God that I couldn’t do this because I could not possibly raise that much money. He stopped me right there in my tracks and asked me if I had faith in him. I told him I had faith in him to move mountains! He replied, “Then let me move this mountain for you.”
I know this is God’s calling for my life, so I choose to have faith in him to provide for me. I have experienced his provision in so many ways in the past. I believe and trust in him. So I will be doing probably 65 car washes. And twelve spaghetti dinners……..just kidding! But I will be doing a lot of creative fundraisers, and I hope that if you feel led, you will help support me. There will be lots of ways to get behind me and one really easy and simple way is to donate online. Just click the donate button on my blog and it will bring you to a page where you can type in my name and the amount you would like to give!
I am so epically excited to start this journey God has planned for me! I want all of you to be a part of this story, too, so I will be posting blogs to keep you in the loop throughout this journey. You can also subscribe to this blog so that you get an email notification whenever I post a new blog.
