My first blog post! First of all, thanks everyone for reading – I hope you’ll stick with me to the end – of this post and beyond!
You’re probably wondering what all this is. World Race? Adventure in Missions? 11 months away? WHY does she want to do this? I’ll take these in order.
World Race is a program run by Adventures in Missions. It’s been going strong since 1989 and they have sent over 100,00 missionaries around the world on ‘routes’, for God’s glory and the missionary’s growth. The route I’ve committed to is an 11-month long continuous journey from Nicaragua, through Africa, and eventually ending in Indonesia. Along the way there will be tons of service activities, evangelism opportunities, as well as some touristy type fun!
This route is super unique as it is the first time a WR Route will go to Djbouti. I’m so psyched to help pioneer the ministry there!! We will also have the opportunity to go to Myanmar (aka, Burma) which has only recently opened to allow visitors.
That’s the how and where, but what I’m really excited to explore in this post is the why. Why commit to raising over $19,000 to travel to 11 countries – spending all that time away from my family, friends, and homeland?
Because God has deeply laid it on my heart just how much people need Jesus.
I’ll elaborate.
I’ve always had a desire for independence – to travel and be active. Couple that with the willingness to go where others wont and I’ve always wondered – “is foreign missions for me?” With that thought buzzing in my brain, I heard about the World Race about three years ago. I thought it sounded interesting and exciting, but I never applied. Whether because I thought it was too much money or the timing wasn’t right, something always kept me from even starting an application.
Rewind to the recent past. In my closest circles there was a sudden and life-shaking rift smashed open in the middle of my life. Relationships were torn to pieces between people I deeply cared for and I feared the effects would be far-reaching and long-lasting. I was even losing sleep over it! One day I cried out to God – begging Him to fix the brokenness. After I heard assurances He would, I thought my tears were done. But, in my silence, God spoke something that rocked me, “The pain you feel at this brokenness is only a fraction of the pain I feel for those whose relationship with ME is broken.”
I lost it again.
God is broken for the people in the world who are lost, who have left His care and desired after their own ways. God is broken over them. And I should be too.
SO! For me, this World Race is actually beginning right now. I will seek to daily show God’s love and speak boldly about Christ’s power to restore and redeem. As I start this journey of fundraising and then travelling as a missionary I hope you’ll walk it with me. I ask you to pray for me: that God would grant me many opportunities to do good work and that I would be faithful to walk in them.
May the peace of God go with you.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison doors to those who are bound.
