Hello lovely readers! Welcome to my first blog post!
Have you seen Moana, Disney’s newest animated movie? If not, first of all, GO SEE IT.
Second of all, for those poor, unfortunate souls who haven’t seen it yet, let me provide a brief synopsis:
Moana lives on the island of Motunui with her protective father, the Chief, her nurturing mother, Nicole Scherzinger, and familiar faces she’s known her whole life. While her life is, for the most part, satisfying, it’s safe; and as you will quickly learn, like most Disney heroines, Moana is not the type of girl to play it safe. Against her father’s wishes, Moana follows the ocean’s voice, calling her to find the endearingly narcissistic Demigod Maui (who looks strikingly similar to The Rock), have him return the heart of Tahiti so her people can be saved. (Need some more clarification? See the movie!)
I saw Moana around the time I had begun seriously considering the World Race. Walking out of the theater, I was left speechless; and not just by the captivating music I would come to memorize over the next weekend. Moana’s story paralleled by own almost to a T. The difference? Moana listened to the voice inside her; if a sixteen year old cartoon can do it, so can I; so I gave it a shot! And from then on, God’s call for me to travel the world became too strong for me to ignore.
I’ve always lived in the same town with the same friends and a consistently loving family. My life is safe. Now, I have no right to complain; I’ve always had a family and friends that love me, I’ve never been left without a roof over my head or food on the table, and every day has given me a reason to smile. But for so long, I’ve been longing for something more.
Now, I won’t say a cartoon character convinced me to make one of the biggest decisions of my life thus far; I will say, however, that God works in crazy ways. I knew that if He was truly calling me to go on this journey, to travel eleven countries in eleven months, he would make it an obvious, slap-me-in-the-face kind of clear. Through the instant connection I noticed between Moana and myself, He was making it abundantly clear. It’s almost as if He was shaking my shoulders as I sat in the theater and said, “Haley! If Moana can do it, YOU can do it.” So I did! And from that moment, I’ve turned to God for each decision; and not coincidentally, everything has fallen into place.
Am I scared? Yes. Am I ready? Not at all! But am I equipped? YES. God called me for this trip with the guarantee that I’m equipped with everything I need. All I have to do is listen to Him.
The day before I was accepted into the Race, I felt skeptical towards my place in the Race. So of course, God brought me right to Acts 20:24: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Instantly, I knew that whether on the World Race or at home; whether in Africa or Massachusetts, I only had one job. To spread God’s Love.
Over the next year, I will show God’s Love to people who have never seen it; I’ll help put a roof over people’s heads and give them food on the table. But like Moana, I’m not embarking on this once in a lifetime, potentially dangerous adventure for myself, or to show my community back home what I’m capable of; none of that stuff matters. I’m traveling to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Malaysia, Indonesia, Swaziland, South Africa, Philippines, Lesotho, China and Mongolia, because I was called. And God’s call is the one I cannot ignore.
This post marks the beginning of an extraordinary journey I’ll be embarking upon over the next year. In the coming months, I can’t guarantee I’ll post on this blog once a week, or even once a month. I can promise that I am on board for God’s game plan for me and I will share every step of that journey with everyone I know and love; so I encourage you to join me on this incredible journey!
Like Moana, the protagonist at the end of my story will come home a changed woman, with more love to share than she ever thought possible. And like Moana, I’m ready to follow that voice inside me to see just How Far I’ll Go.
(If you picked up on the Moana reference, I love you and thank you)
