This is my first blog post…ever, so bear with me please!
Well, It’s official! I will be on the October 2017 Rout 1 which is visiting Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Cambodia, Thailand, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, & Uganda in 11 months!
First I want to share a little bit about how I heard about the World Race and why I decided to do it. 2 summers ago was the first time I heard from someone who actually did it, and as he shared his experiences with me I became very intrigued. I remember thinking, “wow, if I ever got the opportunity to do that I’d definitely be down.” But, at that point I was still in school and it just didn’t really seem like the right time for me to just up & leave. The second time I heard about it was about one year ago, a girl was speaking at a church I was visiting and she was raising support for her trip. I remember getting the same exciting feeling again, the feeling that it was something I wanted to do.. but again, not the right time. Fast forward to a few months ago, I was sitting in my room with my roommate and had a spontaneous thought, and simply said, “yanno what, I’m just gonna apply and see what happens.” So I did just that. Before I even knew it I was told that I got accepted, and that’s when I realized that this might actually happen. I decided to do some serious soul searching with the man upstairs and he made it very clear of what I was suppose to do. The day he told me to go on the World Race, I wrote this journal entry that I have decided to share with you all:
1/7/17
As you call me higher, my soul aches and fear fills me. I’m trying to pick myself up and feel joy again but I feel NOTHING. I feel motionless, like something is blocking me from feeling alive. A feeling I know I’ve experienced but it feels so foreign to me. I’ve been praying for a sign or an opportunity, a way to get back up on my feet and Lord, you’ve provided! You’ve given me this incredible opportunity, yet I cry at the thought of it. Doubt fills me, and I repeatedly think to myself “I can’t do this.” But like a clear river your words flow over me, “What are you waiting for? You must sacrifice your life so you can LIVE. Give up yourself, and you will find your REAL self. Lose your life, and you will save it.” Thank you Lord for making it so clear. I know now that if I go, I will have to sacrifice a lot of things. But, if I don’t go I will sacrifice the Kingdom, which is far more important and precious than anything I have here on earth.
The amazing thing that I’ve learned since that moment is that the Lord simply wants us to obey him, and he will take care of the rest. He is the ideal traveling companion. I have an open road ahead of me, & he has cleared the way. He will take care of me, and he will be with me wherever I go. This is really happening.
