I first heard about The World Race my sophomore year of college, at a weekly meeting for a campus ministry program I participated in. A girl, who I didn’t know, walked up in front of the room of 400 people, and began to talk of her experience living for 11 months out of a backpack and traveling as a missionary all around the world.
My first thought was…. I’m seriously unsure if she’s nuts, or kinda cool maybe?
My second thought was… what a crazy, fantastic, totally not possible thing for me to do!
I listened and listened and I felt that tug on my heart. That tug that is God saying “Hey,hey you, yo my child, pay attention!”
I couldn’t go on The Race at the time, I was still in college, I had other opportunities I needed to pursue. I had ways I needed to grow, in my faith, in my relationships with friends and family and most importantly in my relationship with Christ.
I couldn’t go then. It wasn’t yet my time.
But, years later, after graduation, I sat (more like slouched)-
a broke girl, with a college degree and nowhere to go. Yet strangely enough, I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t worried about if I would find a job or if I would be successful because The World Race was still on my heart and I needed to go for that first. To see if this was where God was leading me.
Over and over I contemplated just sending in that initial application. To be or to not be accepted as a potential missionary for Adventures in Missions. I remember sitting and staring at my computer screen, asking friends, asking mentors, asking family, unsure of if this was it. There were tears, but mostly SO. MUCH. PRAYER.
And finally, I just knew.
I knew this was where God was calling me.
He was calling me across the world, to reach out in ways I couldn’t imagine. To get up off my seat and take action for Him! To pay attention to the woman He has created me to be and go out and serve ALL nations, in ways I couldn’t do staying in Morgantown, WV.
So, I sent in that application and WAS ACCEPTED! What a blessing.
I believe that the Lord gives us passions and desires for a reason. He gives us the passion to play music, that passion to minister to teens, or the desire to be that CEO because He wants to use each and every one of them in some way. And they are not always to simply be ignored.
And He has provided me with this passion for people. This passion to serve the least of these and the most of these.
To spread His love like wildfire.
I want to go where He leads. And yes it is going to be so humbling, and yes it is going to be scary, and uncomfortable, and I am probably going to fail, and I am probably going to cry, It’s going to take a WHOLE lot of faith, and even MORE trust in Him. (Please pray for that faith and trust for me throughout this whole process. It’s the most difficult part.)
But I am ready for that amazing journey.
That Journey where I can grow and learn and pursue this life with Christ, telling others and showing others the love and grace of God.
I am going on this journey, not alone, but with God.
We’re doing this together.
