I’ve always been told that if I ever get the opportunity to travel, I should take advantage of it. I like to blame the fact that I can’t stay put is because I grew up a military brat and moved every two years. I get restless and constantly feel the need for change.
My whole life, I’ve heard people talk about traveling and seeing the world, and how it’s the greatest experience. But when someone actually does it, it’s crazy. It’s against the norm that our society has abstrusely placed on us. It doesn’t follow the plan of going to college, graduating, getting married and having kids. Traveling doesn’t fit into this mold that our society has created.
People have their own views on what the World Race is and people have their own opinions on why I’m doing this. Some have said this is a way to put off “the real world”. Some have said that this is a year long vacation free from “grown up” responsibilities. Some have said they don’t understand the call to be a missionary, therefore not understanding why anyone would want to do it. Some have also said that I’m incredibly naive about what goes on in the world or that there’s too much to do in the U.S. and I should just stay here instead.
So, the big questions is why.. Why am I leaving to travel Asia? Why was I drawn to something like this? Why am I putting my life on pause?
I feel like a good way to answer those questions is start with why I’m not doing the World Race. I’m not doing this to put off responsibilities, nor to have a vacation for a year. If those were the reasons, I could come up with better reasons to stay home. As of a week and a half ago, I am unemployed. I have put my career on “hold” because I know there’s something more than the 9-5 (or 7-7 in my case.. #thatnurselife haha). I’m missing holidays and birthdays and family travels. I’m missing my favorite things and saying good-bye to my favorite people to invest in the lives of people I don’t know.
So that brings us back to the big question. Why?
We are all God’s children. Regardless of if you’re a Christian, Jew, Hindu, atheist, or anything else. There’s people in Asia that have never heard that before. And that’s why I’m going. To bring the hope of Jesus to people who otherwise may never have the chance to hear the Gospel.
In the Bible, Saul was the ultimate anti-Christian. He executed and imprisoned them. He was trying to stop the spread of Christianity, until he had an encounter with Jesus and his life was forever changed and he then became Paul. He traveled spreading the very same Gospel he had once tried to stop. His life had been transformed and He couldn’t keep it to himself. He helped to establish and build up the church so they could influence their communities.That’s exactly what I’m doing. My life has been radically transformed because I had an encounter with Jesus and I can’t keep it to myself.
Yeah, traveling to another part of the world sounds really awesome. But there’s also a lot of risk and sacrifices that go into it. It’s not going to be all rainbows and butterflies. It’s going to be hard and exhausting. But God has chosen me for this. Why do I go?
Because He says go (Mark 16:15).
#AlexsAsianInvasion #startsin5days
