I’ve got to admit, the last blog was somewhat of a cop-out. 🙂 Although I’m definitely a person who uses writing to clear my head, I’m used to those writings being hidden in a journal, and then that journal being hidden in an ammo box. The idea of writing something available for anyone who wishes to read it is a daunting thought. I’m working on getting over it. So to continue with the the story I started to share in “The Set-Up”…
After about six months of applications, searching for opportunities to serve as a nurse overseas, interviews and frustration, last summer I began to doubt. Did I get it wrong? Why so many shut doors? Could there really be no medical clinic in the middle-of-nowhere in some country that was looking for a nurse to help out? Honestly, it was entirely discouraging. Doubts, discouragement, frustration…and then all of the sudden there was this tshirt. Can I use the cliche “God works in mysterious ways”?
(Modeling by Anna Talbot)Now, anyone who knows me understands that I range from being a tshirt and jeans girl to a tshirt and scrubs girl. So it wasn’t really a surprise when a college roomie asked me if I wanted to buy a tshirt that one of her friends was selling for a fundraiser. The fact that it was blue and happened to have a picture of the world on it weren’t bad selling points either. I don’t even remember if I asked what the fundraiser was for at the time. (Anna you can clarify this later on).
The front of the tshirt read “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world…are the ones who do.” And on the back there just happened to be a website, www.halleypower.theworldrace.org.
I could say the rest was history. But recovering from the previous bout of doubt, discouragement and frustration regarding this whole idea to spend a year overseas, I searched things out slowly. For a while I just kept up with Halley’s blog and read about her experiences (keep in mind that Halley has absolutely no clue who I am or that I’ve been stalking her via world race blog). Then I started searching more into the World Race, Adventures in Missions, what it was all about and if it would even be a possibility.
- Friday, September 18th, 2009: Began asking parents and close friends for prayer support and their honest opinion about the possibility of me + World Race
- Saturday, October 24th, 2009: Submitted online application for the World Race
- Wednesday, October 28th, 2009: Phone interview with World Race staff while pacing around the new apartment I was moving into
- Thursday, October 29th, 2009: Received an email that said, “Congratulations! Your World Race Application has been reviewed and accepted!”
- Friday, October 30th through approximately mid-December: amazement and shock
- Sunday, January 17th, 2009 upon arriving back in the US from Israel: More shock, this time at the realization that I only had 21 weeks before leaving the country for a year.
(Sorry, I don’t have the date that I ordered or received the tshirt. Would have completed my completely OCD list of dates and events).
Since then, it’s been a whirlwind. The support I have received so far has been a huge blessing! I’ve had precious conversations with friends because of this new undertaking. God is already moving me out of my comfort zone. (Oh yeah, check out http://www.troymessenger.com/news/2010/feb/19/aly-beeler-join-world-race/ ). And I know there’s so much more in store!
