If you have already read my letter, some of this might be redundant, but here we go with my First real blog!!!!!
When I was a senior in high school, I organized a 5k run to raise money for a month-long mission trip I was planning on taking to Swaziland. This race helped me reach my fundraising goal, and after I returned, I had the privilege of seeing one of the runners at the gym in my neighborhood. He began asking me how my trip had turned out, and while we were speaking, a girl near me overheard our conversation and told me that she too had recently been to Swaziland. This small country in Africa not only sparked a conversation all the way back home, but it also sparked my interest this mission I now and myself called to: The World Race.
While this girl and I were talking about our time in Africa, she asked me if I had ever heard of The World Race, and at that time I hadn’t. By the time we had finished our conversation though, I decided the World Race was something I was interested in, and later that same day, I found myself applying for a short-term mission trip through the Mission Organization that The World Race is a part of. I applied to go on a mission trip to Nepal but instead was given the opportunity to go to Malaysia on a World Race Exposure Mission Trip. This trip to Malaysia showed me not only that a partnership with The World Race, was something I was super interested in, but also that God had given me a huge passion and heart for international missions.
The summer after my trip to Malaysia, I was given the opportunity to serve at a YoungLife camp for high school students, but even while serving in the US, I could not get away from this desire to serve internationally. During the last week of camp, we hosted 50 students from China at camp. These students served as a reminder of my desire to do international missions, and created in me such a strong desire to follow God’s plan for my life that I realized I would no longer be satisfied doing anything else. I got back to school in the fall and realized, as a junior, I had no interest in my major at all. I felt like my purpose had shifted, and while in Starkville, MS, I couldn’t fully fulfill the plans that God had for me.I began praying and seeking what the Lord’s plan is for my immediate future, not sure of what He had for me but certain it wasn’t here.
Later that semester, I was sitting down with a friend eating lunch, and found myself crying about how much I wanted to take time off school and pursue God possibly through international missions. Later the same week, I was studying for a test in Starbucks when a friend bluntly asked me: “If you could do anything, without money or time being an issue, what would you do?” Without any hesitation or thought, I said “The World Race.” When those words, escaped my mouth, something clicked; I realized with certainty that this what God had planned for me. There are so many factors that I’m unsure about but so many opportunities for God to show me that He is the ultimate provider. So here I am: writing this blog and thrilled about this next step in my life.
There is uncertainty, but no room for fear; God’s perfect love casts out fear. There is excitement and joy and thankfulness, because how lucky am I that God has given me this opportunity to serve in this capacity. I’m pumped to have this opportunity and ready to grow as a follower of Christ through this next stage in my life. This common denominator of International Missions has resurfaced in my life, and I could not be more excited.
