So I’m sure most of you who have known me are wondering how in the heck I ended up on an 11 month mission trip around the world or what drew me to do this. Well hold on tight because you’re about to find out and I figured it’s about time I tell my story.
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So about 2 years ago I had heard about the World Race through a co counselor from the summer camp I worked at and I thought to myself how cool that would be to do but at that time I didn’t really have a relationship with God at all. I was a sophomore in college and had no idea what I was doing with my life. I thought I might have wanted to be a teacher, then maybe a photographer, then on to I don’t know what besides rolling through the motions, just wanting to eventually graduate.
I then saw another friend from the same summer camp preparing for the world race. As it popped into my mind for the second time, I thought “I’m going to follow her journey.” And so I did for the next 11 months. I thought it was so amazing what she was doing and I felt like I was born to do something like that. I remember mentioning it to my parents and telling them all about it. I as well as they didn’t really take it seriously and somewhat joked about being gone for 11 months and raising almost $20,000 for it and again I thought to myself, “I don’t even have a relationship with God, so there’s no way I would qualify or meet the standards to go,” and to the back of my mind it went once again.
Things got rocky as I continued into my junior and senior year still undecided as to what I wanted to do with my life. I honestly hated my major and skipped as much class as I could without failing. I partied all the time, slept so much, and decided to dive into a relationship that I didn’t realize would affect me so much at the time. I was in a mess that I never thought or cared of getting myself out of. It eventually led me into a state of depression that I didn’t even see coming and a part of me had thoughts about not wanting to be on this earth anymore. I remember specifically asking God why I was made this way and why he was putting me through all of this.
Finally, towards the middle of my senior I hit rock bottom. I called my parents to tell them I was dropping out of school. I’m sure on the inside they were devastated, but on the outside, they cared so much and told me they would support me in whatever I chose to do and gave me some alternate ideas as to switching my major and such. They even drove all the way from Ohio to Alabama to be there with me through the process. Talk about two of the most amazing parents in the world!
At the same time, my best friend was going through some personal stuff of her own. One day she turned to me and said, “Hey you should come with me to the awakening. It’s a Wednesday night church service led by the college students and it’s been helping a lot with everything I’m going through.” Part of me was thinking nothing could change my mindset at this point but something was pushing me to go, (little did I know it was God introducing himself.)
So I went, and the message was about being redeemed, breaking off the chains and becoming who God created you to be. It was like they knew my struggles, what I was going through and as if they were speaking right to me. I just broke down but was also a little relieved. I decided to go to church that upcoming Sunday and I remember walking out of there feeling better, feeling loved, worthy and like everything was going to be okay. I eventually decided to switch my major and just finish with some education classes and electives under my belt. Even with taking 19 hours my final semester, I was surprisingly happy again. My classes were pretty simple, I was easing through my last semester and most of all I had found God. However, something was still off. I was still in toxic friendships, relationships, and I had no idea what I was going to do once I graduated. I kept trying to fix everything myself, completely unaware that I needed God’s help. Ever since I was little I had always wanted to accomplish and fix everything on my own. Therefore, I tried fixing my relationship, some friendships, and certain worries without giving it all to God first. But once I realized it, I asked the Lord for some guidance. I decided to end the toxic friendships, and I asked god to give me a sign to know if I was in the right relationship or not. When I didn’t listen to the first sign, he gave me three, (can we just look at God foe a sec!)
After I graduated, I moved South to the beach, got a job as a waitress at a big local restaurant and started working my summer away and around the beginning of July, I decided to end my relationship. And as soon as I did, the world race popped back into my mind. I started wondering whether this could actually be something I could pursue and as I researched it, I started realizing that it couldn’t be a more perfect time in my life for me to do this. I had just graduated college and wasn’t even thinking about Grad school. I wasn’t in a relationship anymore, I would have almost an entire year to prepare for it and God was telling me, “just apply.” And so I did in August, for the June 2019 route.
I didn’t tell anyone that I had applied for the fear of rejection. Even though I had discovered my faith and knew God, there was a lot I still needed to learn. So I waited for about two weeks until I got a call for an interview over the phone with one of the staff members. At that time, it had hit me that I was actually pursuing this. She started asking me questions about how I found Jesus and things that I’d went through and it was a little tough to relive all of it because I was so happy at the time. I also feared I wouldn’t answer the questions right or not have enough knowledge about Jesus in order to be qualified to go. But overall, the interview went well and I just had to sit and wait for the next call to hear whether I was accepted or denied.
About a week later, I was at work when my phone started ringing. When I looked to see who it was it said the call was from Gainesville, Georgia and my heart dropped. When I answered, the man was asking me about my day and how I felt about the interview process and then he continued to tell me that I GOT ACCEPTED!!!!! I was in somewhat of shock when I heard him say those words. I completely forgot I had tables waiting on me inside the restaurant, so he had given me the information I needed to get everything started and told me congratulations and to have a nice day. I hung up the phone still in shock and wasn’t sure what to think of it all when it donned on me, “I have to tell my parents….”
I went home after my shift that day, and sat both of my parents down and told them that I was going on the World Race, an 11-month mission trip to 11 countries in the next year. As soon as I’d said it, they both looked at me, looked at each other and then looked at the ground and I chuckled a little because I think they were just as shocked as I was. They’d asked me when I applied and the rest of the questions started rolling in. I could tell they weren’t huge fans of it at all, and what parents would be? What parents would be completely okay with sending their child off to 11 third world countries for a year with hardly any internet, or running water and having to raise almost $20,000 for it? (Don’t worry, they came around.)
Despite what everyone’s thoughts were on it I knew this was something God had called me to do. I put down my deposit, announced to the world what I was doing and started to fundraise. People were so stoked and excited for me and the funds started rolling in. I started to think it would be a piece of cake to fundraise. However, the funds slowed down some and I was stuck. For a second I thought I wasn’t good or worthy enough to do this and with being a waitress how am I going to raise these funds? But God just kept telling me, “Go.” So I kept on, hoping the funds would come in. There was a point when I needed to raise almost $2,500 in about 5 days and boy did He provide! God kept showing up in the best ways possible and He showed me that I was on the right path and that I was right where I needed to be in life.
I may not have had it all figured out yet but I was getting there, and before I knew it, June 4thcame right around the corner. My parents and I headed to Atlanta for Launch. We had a couple days of seminars that helped answer so many questions and on the 5thI said goodbye. There were tears and laughs, worry and excitement but they were so happy and supportive of me doing this. I seriously could not have asked for more amazing, loving parents! I had training camp for 10 days straight and it was exhausting, thrilling, stretching, emotional and life changing all at the same time. We then flew out to Nicaragua on the 15thand have been here doing ministry and learning the ways of Nicaraguan culture.
As I sit here in this tiny café writing this blog I keep thinking about how God pulled me out of my lowest low and has brought me up to my highest high and I cannot thank Him enough for that. I am currently in month one of my race in Nicaragua and still have 10 more months to go. Life is good, God is good and I am so happy to be serving the communities and people I encounter everywhere I go! Cheers to this new life changing journey!!
