Dear friends and family,
Welcome to my World Race blog! I hope that this blog post finds you well. I would like to share some exciting news about an opportunity that God is leading me into and invite you to join me!
I have been accepted to go on a World Race: Semesters missions trip to the Philippines next summer for the month of June!
What is World Race: Semesters?
The World Race is a program sponsored by Adventures in Missions, an organization based in Gainesville, GA. Adventures in Missions has sent over 100,000 missionaries around the world through their various programs. World Race: Semesters is a program specifically designed for college students and the trips are anywhere from 1-3 months long.
What will you be doing in the Philippines?
While our team is in the Philippines, we will be serving alongside Kid’s International Ministry (KIM) in Manila. We will have the opportunity to serve in the nursery, build relationships with the kids, tutor, assist with the daily distribution of food and medicine, lead devotions with the youth, serve in the birthing clinic, assist with disaster relief work, and help the team identify those who need medical care.
How did the Lord lead you here?
I had the opportunity to go on a 10-day missions trip to Ethiopia in the summer of 2017 with my youth group. We served at a children’s ministry sports camp while there and met some incredible people! God showed me His heart in a new way during this trip and my passion for missions strengthened. Since then, God has continued to ignite this passion and longing of mine to pursue international missions.
I’ve been praying for guidance regarding this calling to serve. I’ve been praying that God would make it clear to me if and when an opportunity arises that He wants to invite me into. And this is exactly what happened.
I have dreamed about going on a World Race trip for a long time. When I learned about this trip to the Philippines, it immediately sparked my interest. The trip encompasses my passion for missions, health, and working with children!
As I began the application process, I wasn’t sure whether God was calling me to go. Sometimes we want things for ourselves and hastily begin planning out the future, thinking that our plans line up with God’s plans.
Most of you who know me well know that I have been battling anxiety for a while. As I went through the application process and interview, I became more and more anxious about the possibility of leaving my comfort zone behind and embarking on a journey full of uncertainty. I started to doubt that I would even be accepted and decided that I’d be okay with that, as staying here and continuing to get ahead with my degree would be the easier and safer option. However, “easy” and “safe” are not always (in my 19 years of experience, almost never) what God has in store. And challenging as it may be, I’m very thankful for that.
I’m still in awe that I’m actually going on a World Race missions trip! God answered my prayers in an incredible way and I’m so thankful. Unfortunately, anxiety can hit hard when something we’ve been persistently hoping and longing and praying for actually happens. I think that it has to do with the fear of messing it up or failing. These fears can be overwhelming at times and threaten to steal our joy. However, in the midst of all my doubts and resistance, God has made it very clear to me that He wants me on this missions team.
God calls us in Joshua 1:9 (NLT) to “be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I don’t know how or where He is going to use me on this trip, but I do know that I can depend on and trust Him because He is good. He is stronger than fear and, with His help, I can defeat any and all anxiety that arises.
How can I help?
The greatest support that my team and I could ever receive is that of prayer. I would appreciate it so very much if you would be willing to pray for me leading up to as well as during the trip! Please subscribe for updates If you’d like to stay up to date with my blog posts about the trip; I will be posting prayer requests and other updates here.
In addition to prayer support, each member of the team needs to raise $4,550 by May 21st, 2020, in order to launch. This money goes directly to Adventures in Missions, Inc. and covers the cost of all transportation, food, housing, insurance, and other miscellaneous costs. Please prayerfully consider supporting me financially by making a donation. Any amount that you feel led to donate will help! All donations are tax deductible.
There are two ways to financially donate:
- Online, via the “donate” button on my blog.
- By check; if you’d like to donate by check, please let me know and I will send you the fundraising card to fill out and send with your check to Adventures in Missions.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my first blog post. I am so excited (and nervous!) about this adventure and I can’t wait to see how God will use me and my team to further His kingdom. It is my hope that you would join me on this journey! I look forward to hearing from you.
With love,
Shea
