Hiiiii! My name is Anna Worthen! I am seventeen years old and currently a senior at The Classical Academy High School in San Diego, CA. I have three brothers which means I am the only girl in the family (besides my wonderful mom of course). Without both my mom’s and dad’s support I would not be in the place I am today. Relationships have always been very important to me regarding my family as well as my friends. Also, quality time has been a priority in my life, even though I tend to be a little bit introverted at times. I have been blessed to live in San Diego. The beach has always been my favorite place to go to. I love being outside and taking in God’s beautiful creation. Whether that be a sunset, sunrise, a field of flowers, or even just a few green hills in the distance, I am constantly in awe of how incredible this earth is. Music has always been a huge aspect of my life and is an outlet for me to express my emotions in a form of worship.
Additionally, I have always had a heart for missions. Since I was around thirteen, I knew I was called to serve, spread the good news, and be a disciple. My original plan was to do YWAM, another missions program in Iceland. Instead, God shut that door and opened a new one. This past year I had several people come up to me and recommend World Race, and after a lot of prayer, I realized God was calling me to do Gap Year. I could not be more thankful for this opportunity to go on the race. When I think about the fact that I am leaving for nine months, I can get a little in my head and scared. However, I know that without discomfort, I can’t grow, and the Lord is calling me into bigger things.
My walk with the Lord has had its bumps in the road. My freshman year of high school, I was faced with difficulties of many kinds. The first year of high school is already challenging, however my life took a turn that I was not prepared for mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I watched my brother fall into drug abuse and addiction. The stress, tension, and despair of this took a massive toll on me and my mental health. I quickly fell into a season of depression and found myself not having a will to live. I blamed my pain and my family’s suffering on God, and questioned why he would let this happen and grew very angry. Later on, I came to the realization that my life would go nowhere without God and he was the only one who could bring peace and healing into my life (John 15:5). I received help and restoration. I am thankful that Jesus sticks with me through the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. These factors created the desire to spread the good word of God.
