It’s kind of funny how you can have your life planned out, then God comes and just sweeps the rug out from underneath you…
Don’t get me wrong-God has done some pretty amazing things, but I have MY plan. My plan was the “best” plan- to go to school and finish up my general classes, then start nursing school. After I graduated, maybe I’d go on some missions trips as a nurse. I’ve always thought that would be cool, but it was going to have to wait a few years…
God likes surprises, and He definitely surprised me when I felt Him telling me to pursue missions before school. “Ummm, no. That’s not gonna happen, Jesus,” was naturally my first reaction. I was filling out paperwork to start school, and was really feeling Him nudging me to pursue missions opposed to school at this time. So I wandered over to a friend’s blog who was on the race at that time. I read blog after blog by different people and decided maybe God was right.
I prayed about it for a while, and finally decided to put my application in. I had a nerve-wracking phone interview and was told they’d give me a call in a few days. I work 12 hour nights at a hospital as a nurse assistant, and came home Monday morning after working all night and went to bed hoping I’d be getting a call with good news. I did get a call around noon, but it wasn’t good. At least at the time I didn’t think so, though now I realize it was for the best.
I wasn’t accepted.They wanted me to reapply, but I wasn’t accepted. What the heck? Why would God put this silly dream in my heart if I wasn’t going to be accepted to do it? It didn’t make any sense and I was really upset for a while. I was able to get in contact with someone at Adventures in Missions and talk with them about why I had to wait. You see, patience is a virtue the Lord didn’t bless me with a lot of…
After speaking with someone and sharing my story, they explained to me that this trip can be an unraveling experience, and they simply wanted me to gain a little bit more healing and knowledge of myself. She told me to reapply in six months, and we’d see where I was at emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
October came and I started the application process over again. This time it took a little while longer for an answer, but I’ve been accepted to the World Race! In August of 2019 I’ll be leaving behind my family, my friends, my job, my luxuries and everything I’ve ever known to live out of a backpack for 11 months. I love people’s reactions when I tell them that last part: I’ll be living out of a backpack and potentially sleeping in a tent for 11 months.
Y’all may think I’m crazy, but know I’m so excited for this opportunity. The main concern I have isn’t the sleeping situations, bugs the size of my face, or wearing the same pair of underwear for a day or two…It’s the finances. The total cost of my trip is $19,200 which includes airfare, travel, food, and housing. There’s an additional $1,000 of supplies I’ll need to purchase, along with additional spending cash for while I’m in each country.
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