I’ve been trying to write a post about why I want to go on the World Race for weeks, but I’ve typed and erased an entire post so many times I lost count. Then, it dawned on me. I have been trying to write why I wanted to go when I should have been writing about why GOD wants me to go on the World Race. If there has been a theme to my World Race journey so far it has been that when you pray boldly, God answers boldly. Maybe the answer shows up months and years later or differently than you expected, but he ALWAYS answers. God has been showing me that I have been praying for the opportunity to go on the World Race before I even knew WR existed, before I even knew I was interested in missions, before I even knew I was brave enough to leave the country! Here’s what happened.
Some of my favorite prayers to pray during worship have always been words like, “Break my heart for what breaks yours” or “make your desires my desires.” These were the words that led me to spend a summer serving in Fiji. These were the words that led me to look at teaching as more than just a job. These were the words that inspired me to try to continually live a more simple life each day. I’ve been praying these words for years, but sorta forgot to look at how God might be listening and answering those prayers.
Last April, I started searching for something adventurous to do right after I graduated in December. Yes, I love teaching, but thinking about being in a classroom right off the bat felt more suffocating than exciting for a lot of reasons I don’t have time to explain. So, I looked at ways to volunteer full time in the US, teaching abroad opportunities, teaching English programs, nannying abroad, etc. and nothing ever felt quite right.
Well, creepy Google started to read my mind and started putting this trip called “The World Race” on my Facebook ads and suggested posts. I ignored everything for about two weeks thinking the trip was probably some scam that would take you on an overpriced trip to tourist hotspots. Finally, I gave in and decided maybe if I clicked on the ad then Google would leave me alone and give me more ads about lipstick I don’t wear and cute kids’ clothes. Turns out I was completely wrong, and the World Race is actually a legit 11 month mission trip that goes to 11 different countries spreading the name of Jesus all over. No scam involved!
For some reason, I kept trying to avoid my interest. I spent the whole summer ignoring the fact that everything God had slowly been leading my heart towards the past few years could be pursued while on the World Race. Each time the WR popped into my head, I came up with ANOTHER excuse or recycled an old excuse with added emphasis to explain why I could NEVER go on a trip like that: “I probably wouldn’t be accepted, this is WAY too much money to raise, how am I going to find a job for when I come back when I am overseas, that’s so long to be away from family!”
In September, I finally sat down to think about what my heart really desired to try to figure out what jobs I should be applying for. I wrote down this list in my journal:
– Adventure, living somewhere I’ve never lived before
– Having a “job” I get to talk about Jesus and focus on serving him
– Meeting people I can be brokenhearted with and give joy to
– Live in community with other young adults
– Live a minimalistic life
– Experience the Body of Christ in action/learn about supernatural healing
A couple weeks later, I started to get frustrated with Jesus telling him, “You know exactly what I want. See? I even wrote it down. Why can’t you just tell me what YOU want me to do?”
Do you ever hear a little heavenly chuckle come at you from heaven when Jesus is whispering that you are a funny little human, and you need to stop being a grump and open your eyes a little wider? I hear that chuckle far more often than I’d like to admit. Looking back at my list, all of my current heart’s desires are also main components to the World Race!
So, when I scrolled past the millionth ad for the World Race I had seen that week, this time I clicked on it, applied, and got accepted onto the World Race August Route 3 team a few weeks later!
How do I know for “certain” this is where God wants me to be? I’ll tell you all about it in my next post very soon!
