Since this 11 month mission trip first became a reality, God has placed situations and people in my life that can ultimately be claimed as divine rather than just coincidental circumstances.
Over and over again, God has confirmed through experiences and interactions with others, that He has called me to the World Race for a purpose. He hasn't revealed all the reasons to me just yet, but I trust in His plan, because God's majestic masterpieces are always better than my stick figure scenes drawn from limited understanding.
We live such intricate lives, a complex creation fabricated by our creator… and when His hand delves down, intervening in the lives of over six billion people, it seems more like a 'small world', because everything, everyone, was created for a purpose, and our lives intersect with reason instead of randomly. God knows His design inside and out, He knows how the play ends before the actors even walk on stage. He has orchestrated a beautiful story which we are blessed to be a part of. And there is a reason for everything, for God's purpose and His glory.
Here is one such example…
I attend a Bible study for young adults almost every Sunday. The first time I attended was at the beginning of summer and there were about 25 individuals, and they were all strangers to me. Presently, the group has grown to about 35-45 peers that show up every Sunday. I recognize faces, and a few names, but every time I go, I still feel like a stranger making small talk. And usually, I feel more comfortable being approached by others instead of getting out of my comfort zone and introducing myself. One Sunday a couple of weeks back I made the challenge to myself that I would reach out to at least one new face during fellowship. I introduced myself to one girl and ended up talking to three girls. Then, another young woman walked in, introduced herself, and we struck up a conversation…. Come to find out she just moved into the area, and as our conversation progressed, I found out that one of her best friends back home is currently out in the mission field on the World Race, on a route very similar to mine. Can I get a, "It's a small world"?? 
….I made a new friend and learned about yet another person I can glean wisdom from concerning the World Race. He moves in our hearts to give us 'nudges' in the right direction. God connects us to each other. There's no doubt about it. Jesus answers our prayers and He uses us in each other's lives to accomplish His will.
I think C.S. Lewis captures it wonderfully in the quote below:
"In friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another…the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting–any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others."
