Each of you reading this can probably look back on some point in your life, that one defining moment that changed it all.
For me, it was here. Summer 2017 on a small island in the Bahamas. This spot under the tiki hut, in a hammock, is where I found myself most mornings. One particular morning I was down there and one of my best friends Danielle came down and joined me. We found ourselves there a lot, sometimes not even talking at all, but just being still and quiet. But more often we found ourselves talking about life, taking in the beauty around us, and just so grateful we found ourselves there.
I started talking about what I wanted next in my life, my hopes and hearts desires and all the questions I had concerning the “What next?” thoughts moving around in my brain. Then I heard my friend say very discerningly, “Lauren, I feel led to tell you about something. My friend Molly did this thing called The World Race. It was life changing for her. I could totally see you doing this.” This right here, that moment, a seed was planted. If I’m remembering correctly we spent the remainder of that conversation talking only about this. At this point, no commitment, just merely a thought on an island surrounded by the bluest water I had ever seen and after God, was the next best thing to ever take my breath away. Then I think after that we got our phones out and started reading everything we could about this. Then there’s a quiz you could take to find out if you are compatible and if this is truly something you wanted to do. I did that and in bold letters I couldn’t have been any more compatible. lol. I immediately got an email saying “We saw you took the quiz, we would like to schedule a phone call to talk with you further.” At that point I was in paradise and on island time, so for the rest of the trip I never gave it another thought……
It’s then when I got back and reality faced me smack in the face, and I really had to start thinking about this more seriously. Was I doing this because my heart was truly wanting it? Was I doing this because someone told me to or they thought it’s what I should do?
Ultimately my heart was saying YES, and it has been saying yes every day since. That “yes” has been the most frightening but yet most exciting thing to happen to me in a very long time.
I feel the start of the journey is just as important as the journey itself. The months leading up to the trip I think I’m more excited about then the actual trip. I think it’s just as much of a necessity for faith-building as being on the mission field is.
That defining moment, it’s a game changer.
