Welcome to my very first blog post! It’s crazy to think that this little place will be the home of my stories, adventures, joy, growth, and so much more for the next 16 ish months. I’m super excited I get to use this blog as a platform to share with you how God is working in my life! My goal is to make this blog as real, genuine, authentic, and raw as possible so that you guys on the other side of the screen will practically be holding a piece of my heart. Figuratively speaking of course.
“Whoa. Wait? That’s crazy.”
The most common reaction I receive when I tell people I’m going on a nine month mission trip to serve in Guatemala, Nepal, India, and Swaziland.
So I’m sure you’re all wondering, why The World Race Gap Year? I’d love to tell you that there has been a timeline leading up to my decision to do the WRGY, but I’d hate to kick this friendship off with a lie.
There was no timeline whatsoever leading up to the WRGY. I didn’t even know it existed until the night I applied.
I’ve made a pretty solid attempt at trying to plan every aspect of my life before anyone else could since the day I turned five because well, for some reason I thought life just worked that way. As a senior, I had plans of heading off to my dream college in August to fulfill all of the plans I had set for myself. Taking a gap year was never on the horizon.
The week of December 4th rolled around, and I had just finished submitting all of my college applications. I had been saved about two weeks beforehand when I came across the WRGY. As soon as I discovered it, I immediately opened an application. I honestly had no idea what my fingertips were doing as I filled out the application at midnight on a Monday, and scheduled my phone interview for only two days after, but God sure did. He was pulling strings in my heart that I didn’t even know existed.
I felt with all of my heart that if this is where God was leading me, I would be accepted and I would go. Then December 11th came, and I got the acceptance call. Talk about being shook. It felt unreal then, and it feels unreal now. Everything that I had previously intended for myself has pretty much been wiped off the face of the earth, taken, hidden, and put away for me to possibly never find again. My life has been completely wrecked, and if I’m being honest, I do feel a little bit uneasy about abandoning the desires and plans I have for my life and exchanging them for His. It’s scary to to surrender it all, but I have faith in His greater perspective!
I am diving head first into the unknown. I am surrendering it all. I am abandoning my desires and plans for His. I am going further in my faith and trusting Him. I am going deeper into His love, His world, and His calling on my life with open eyes, an open heart, and open hands ready to serve.
His plans for us don’t always make sense. Sometimes they can be uncomfortable, wild, and out of the ordinary, but there is so much beauty in the divine discomfort of following God, and being by lead by Him and His love!
I would rather surrender my entire life and be uncomfortable loving Jesus than spend a life with everything I want in absolute comfort facing eternal disconnection from Him.
As I prepare emotionally, physically, and spiritually for the journey ahead, I pray for a deeper level of knowing, growth, confident obedience, patience, and perseverance. I want to live my life with humility. I want my heart to be centered and focused on Him.
I want all of you to know that I do not want to do this alone! I pray that you are joining me in my excitement for the journey ahead, and I hope you will subscribe to my blog, and support me!
I thank you with my whole heart for taking the time to read this.
With Love,
Jordan
