If you would have asked me last year what I was planning on doing after graduating from high school, my response would have sounded something like this, “My career would be a sports medic with a college degree from IUPUI.” At that time, the motive behind my answer was structured on pressure and control. I acted like my path was all mapped out because I treasured the control of knowing what I was going to do for my future and that gave me comfort in feeling like I had everything together. Now, if tables were turned and I was asked, “Does this plan give you a passion?” To be honest, I would have said no.
Plans change as we develop a more clear understanding of who we are and as we figure out where our interests lie. My plans ran a different route later on and I began to feel like college for this year was growing more and more dim as my interests unfolded into other things. What was I suppose to do after graduating? Frustration began to sink in and I felt like a gap year might be my only option until I was able to really navigate those oblique waters. One of my favorite Bible verses that I kept in the front of my head was Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” This verse was my prayer for God to lead me where He was calling.
During a car ride back from a gymnastics lesson, my mom suggested the World Race and that it might be a great fit. A friend of hers had mentioned that her son embarked on the amazing journey and loves it. When we returned home, both of us sat down at the computer and looked up videos, pictures, and the various routes it offered. In that moment, it was like a bell ringing in my ears: “This is it! The World Race is what you should do this year.” The passion was real to me! This trip has invited me to change the world for Christ by partnering with churches and local ministries in communities to preach the Gospel, teach English, work in hospitals and elderly homes, minister to children trapped in poverty, and bring hope of the Father’s love to many tribes and nations.
