I just want to break down what The World Race is, since I’ve been getting questions and sure many others are wondering why I’m asking for all this money and support which I totally understand, so bear with me through this blog as I share my burden and pour my heart out for it may be a bit lengthy.
As I have previously stated in my past blog I was in the Marines, this detail is very key on whats going on, because I have been deployed and yet I didn’t see crazy stuff while deployed. I did have the unfortunate privilege of receiving a fellow Marines body that was killed in northern Iraq and had to carry him to a plane that would then carry him home to his family that didn’t even know he had passed at this point. Everyone I was with there in country were now all distraught and angry ready to push north and unleash all this built up emotion on the organization that had killed our brother in arms. I wish I could put into words the way we felt, the sicking feeling in our stomach, not being able to eat, and just the hate that formed from this situation. Granted you must also know we may have known of God, but we didn’t really care about much at this point other than fulling our soul purpose as a Marine, to destroy our enemy by any means necessary. We were lost on a whole other level, believe me.
I shared that so you know where I’m coming from with this next part fast forwarding a couple years later I’ve submitted to God and chasing after him and so I went to a Power and Love conference hosted by Todd White and Tom Rotolo. There was a man there named Robby Dawkins who poured his heart out about how he goes to Afghanistan on mission trips to convert these people and tell them about Jesus and helps them. As I listened to this mans testimonies I began to cry in conviction, because I was over there with hate and wanting to kill these people(for the reasons I previously stated), but he is over there loving them and bringing them into the Kingdom of God. At that very moment my burden began to love anyone I encounter and to tell them about my beloved Jesus in hopes to bring them into His light. I once traveled the world for uncle sam, now I want to travel the world for Jesus.
This is what caused me to look for a new purpose and calling in life, well God sent me The World Race, now what is this mission trip and whats it about? Well The World Race is a mission trip that sends people like me in squads, which will then be broke into teams. This squad of crazy Jesus people will be sent to 11 different countries (I’ll share here in just a bit so keep reading you’re almost done!) in 11 months. In each country we will support a local missionary doing anything from teaching, preaching, evangelizing, building churches, schools, homes, and praying for people in hospitals or whatever else the Lord leads us to do.
South Africa
Your World Race journey will start in the large and diverse nation of South Africa. This nation is incredibly multicultural and it still healing from it’s dark and painful history of racism and segregation. This country has 11 official languages, coastlines on two oceans and world famous mountain views. Racers in South Africa focus a lot of their time on evangelism through the school systems. You might find yourself discipling middle and high school students through sports ministry, teaching life skills or assisting with academic classes.
Zimbabwe
Next you will continue north to Zimbabwe, home to the Zambezi river that feeds into the world-famous Victoria Falls. This nation is still in transition after being colonized and suffers from large unemployment rates. World Racers in Zimbabwe focus on coming along the local church and partnering with them to impact the Kingdom through their communities. Racers join in with everything the churches do, helping with their services, meetings, outreach and offering uplift and encouragement. Community and relationships are central to life in Zimbabwe, your month here will be all about discipleship through sharing life together.
Zambia
Next, you will head across the Zambezi to Zimbabwe’s neighbor, Zambia. Our partners in Zambia are focused on church planting and evangelism. Most Racers will settle into a specific town or village and work with our ministry hosts to share the Gospel and plant Christ-centered communities in a focused area. There will be lots of opportunity to work with children, leading camps and events. Our partners have expressed a growing need for ministry for women. The women in Zambia deeply want to share their voices in a new way, and you could be a part of empowering them to share their stories.
Malawi
Your final month in Africa will wrap-up in Malawi, known as the warm heart of Africa. Compared to other surrounding nations, Malawi is very rural and considered one of the poorest countries in the world. This month you will you put to work all the experience in church planting you have gained from your time in Southern Africa. The people of Malawi are known worldwide for their hospitality, you will be forced to slow down as their culture highly values people over tasks, timelines and to-do lists. Our partners in Malawi want Racers to help set the foundation for new believer to live their lives for Christ. They are really passionate about follow-up and discipling people after they have been introduced to the Gospel. So you can be confident the relationships you build this month will have great potential to make a lasting impact.
Vietnam
Next, your journey will take you to Southeast Asia, stopping first in Vietnam. This incredibly friendly nation loves to welcome visitors from around the world. You’ll find it very easy to start up conversations, as people love to ask you why you’re there. You will also meet lots of travelers and expats and have the opportunity to share your faith and why you’re traveling with them. Our partners here offer a wide variety of ministry opportunities. From serving the elderly community, to teaching English to working with orphaned children or serving in mission minded restaurants, this month will be filled with community, deep conversations and large bowls of pho.
Cambodia
Next you’ll head to Thailand’s modest neighbor, Cambodia. Here you will find delicious food, open air markets and bustling streets. Cambodia is struggling to heal from a dark and crippling genocide in the 1970s and is currently faced with crippling poverty and human trafficking. Much of the ministry this month will focus on investing in youth. You’ll likely spend your month reaching children through teaching English and the Bible. English is critical for the younger generations to find sustainable jobs and education to move forward.
Laos
Your time in Southeast Asia will take you next to the Laos, one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the area – nicknamed the crossroads of asia. Compared to the great development from its neighbors, Laos has remained relatively traditional. Laos is a closed country so it’s mostly uncreached by or unaccepting of the Gospel. In your time there you will come alongside the locals that are working to change that. You will assist local church planters both in sharing your faith and passing out the word of God, but also actually helping to construct buildings for believers to meet in. This month will be stretching and rewarding.
Thailand
Your time in Southeast Asia will wrap up in Thailand, known for its stunning beaches, friendly people and bustling outdoor food markets. You will feel welcomed here, but you’ll quickly take note of darkness that plagues this region: human trafficking. In Thailand, you might find yourself under neon flashing lights and sharing a Coke with women in between their dances in night clubs. You might find yourself having difficult conversations with the tourists partaking in the industry and spending hours covering your teammates and the streets in prayer.
Peru
You will kick off the final leg of your journey in Peru, a nation in the clouds. The Peruvian people are very proud and have a strong indigenous background. The closer you get to the mountains, the more people you’ll find wearing traditional dress and speaking in different local dialects. The main ministry Racers focus on in Peru is planting Christ-centered communities in the jungle. Racers doing this ministry live with the local people and share a daily routine with them. You could be leading locals in Bible studies, sharing your faith with families or simply helping prepare dinner. We also partner with an orphanage for children with special needs and a college ministry in Lima. This month will be heavily focused on relationships and community.
Bolivia
Next you will continue on to Bolivia. This nation is dense with jungle and mountains including parts of the Amazon rainforest and the Andes mountains. Everywhere you look there is incredible natural beauty. In Bolivia, we work with a lot of pastors passionate about evangelism and many of our partners focus on ministering to remote, unreached villages. You could likely find yourself hiking and camping for days at a time to share the Gospel with a community that has never heard it before. Bolivia is the poorest nation in South America and as the people are very ethnic, they experience a great deal of discrimination from other nations. Recently evangelism almost became illegal and this really left the local Christians frightened. You can be part of bringing encouragement and hope to this fragile nation.
Argentina
Your final month on the World Race will wrap up in Argentina, a country rich with culture and nationalism. Argentinians believe they have the best of everything – the best wine and food, and they’re very proud to be home to the Tango and sections of Patagonia and the Andes Mountains. You will surely pass through Buenos Aires, a bustling city that will remind you of New York City. Our biggest partner in Argentina is Youth for a Mission (YWAM). They have a ropes course and focus on youth and women’s ministry. They also love to take teams out to preach in the street – something we hope you have great confidence in my the end of the Race. Argentians are very social and love to spend hours talking and catching up over cups of mate. Argentina has the capacity to be a missionary-sending nation, our vision there is to empower them toward this goal!
I hope and pray this answers some of your questions about this trip. Please help me achieve this goal of 19,200 dollars and please please please pray for me above all else that the Lord continues to quicken me and prepares me for this trip. I will be posting a vlog soon and will have many blogs to come as well as kicking off some things for fundraising. I can’t do this without y’alls support and I will do everything I can to share as much about me, my walk with God my testimony, and most importantly this trip. Thank you again, God bless you and I love you very much!
