I got accepted to World Race Gap Year, and I have committed??? What? This is honestly unbelievable. Also, welcome to my first blog ever! Disclaimer: Blogging is slightly new to me. (Please bare with me.)
Yesterday I made the decision to commit to going on a nine-month mission trip to Thailand, India, and Guatemala. I have desired to go on the World Race for almost 2 years, but I never thought deep down that it would actually happen. I doubted myself so much that I didn’t even tell many people about it. Although, a few months ago I filled out an application just to see if I would possibly be accepted, because why not? Next thing I know I am getting a phone call with a Georgia area code. I reluctantly answer, afraid to hear the bad news that no, I was not good enough to go on this journey. My heart starts racing as I hear a nice woman tell me that she thinks I am a perfect fit, and that they would love to have me on the World Race. She goes into details for the remainder of the phone call, but most of it is a blur due to major adrenaline. It took me a while to let it sink in that my dream of traveling the world and helping people, all while sharing God’s word, is actually possible.
Before all of this, I would have told anyone that if I was accepted I would immediately choose WRGY instead of college. But when I was accepted it became real, and I was afraid. This is completely out of my comfort zone. All I kept thinking was “What if I am not a good enough Christian?” The fear began to take over, and I started to give in. I was dealing with a whirlwind of emotions, and I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know if I could leave my family and friends for that long, or if I could fundraise that amount of money.
I wanted to do what I was meant to do, so I started to journal, along with reading the Bible and taking time out of each day to reflect and pray. Truth be told, I have learned more about myself and God this past month than I have in my entire life. I reflected on the word, and my inner feelings would pour out onto the pages of my journal. I began to see that my fears were holding me back. If we live this life based off of fear, we will never become the best version of ourselves. Comfort zones don’t change the world. Still, I wanted to do God’s will, and I wanted to be sure of it. I prayed for His will to be shown to me, and I prayed that He would take control of my future. Not long after, everything changed. God spoke to me through a close friend, and I realized that I was putting my future into my worldly relationships and not Him. He showed me how dangerous that is, and I now know that it is even more dangerous than going on the race. It was then that I realized I wanted to go on WRGY. I now feel a peace in my heart when I think about going. The fears of being homesick, not being able to fundraise enough, and complications with not going straight to college melted away. I am all in.
