It began with my sister mentioning the World Race to me a few years ago as I graduated high school and searched for God’s will for my life. I loved the idea but the cost terrified me so I kept along the path to college. Just about a week before I was supposed to move into my dorm room, I decided I would join the Air Force instead.. weird jump, I know.
The Air Force has taken me on a wonderful rollercoaster of adventures and after 3 years I found myself comfortable. Comfortable volunteering in my unit. Comfortable being a mediocre mechanic. Comfortable with the plan to either commission or work my way up to Chief. Comfortable with the uncertainty of where I’d be stationed next.
Comfortable.
It wasn’t until I was TDY, sitting on a hotel room bed, that I realized that just the thought of getting out of the Air Force made me cry. A tear running down my cheek woke me up to the reality that I was gripping so tightly to the idea of the Air Force and its uncertainty that my knuckles had turned white. It is probably on my top 10 list of Hardest Things to Hand Over to God. But I did, and I knew instantly that I wouldn’t be reenlisting.
I went back and forth between staying in Missouri to plant deeper in my church home here, moving back to Wisconsin and getting involved with a wonderfully growing church there, or going to school somewhere in between. Then I remembered the World Race.
The WR stood out to me because of the time frame. It is a mission trip supporting 11 countries in 11 months. My route will be:
Serbia Romania Bulgaria Malaysia Thailand Laos Lesotho South Africa Madagascar Jamaica Dominican RepublicOther than the obvious geographical differences, each country has different needs to be met. I believe that mission work is in my future, possibly for the long haul, so the opportunity to get involved with different organizations is exciting. I look forward to experiencing different cultures and testing the waters in different areas of work whether it is manual labor or teaching in a school house.
I’m looking for a life changing experience and, though I know God can change lives drastically in just a moment, I believe that the eleven month journey will challenge me to grow and make a difference in the lives of others while seeing God move in my own heart!
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
