World Race?!?!?! WHY????
I have been restless for a long time. I feel like I’ve always wanted to be somewhere else. Much as I love my life here, and genuinely enjoy what I do, I feel like southern Ontario is just not where my heart is. It’s kinda hard to explain, but I feel like other parts of the world have so much more diversity and adventure. Everything we do here is so commercialized and ‘safe’. In other places I’ve visited, I have been on adventures in just the pure, rugged beauty of nature. In Grenada, I slid down a waterslide with reckless abandon, and went down by the ocean at night were the waves were crashing in, and collected whelks off the rocks. In Ghana, we went running across swinging bridges high above the jungle in the pouring rain. In Northern Ontario, just going for a walk feels like an adventure (you never know when a bear or a moose is gonna appear in the bushes around you!!) and to enjoy the beauty of a placid lake, without the view of hundreds of people tanning on the beach. I love to live life on the edge, maybe even a little dangerous!! I wanna try something new- dancing, sky-diving, international food, and new sports. Cuz that’s what adventure is all about- embarking into the unknown.
I love the outdoors and being in nature (I guess that’s the farm gal in me!). And to the same degree that I enjoy nature, I detest the city. I hate the houses, businesses, and buildings in every direction you turn. I hate the busy, bustling pace and the stinky city buses. And most of all I hate the traffic and waiting at traffic lights. It makes me feel trapped and restless. And ironically enough, I am the girl that grew up in the country and moved to the city.
So how does this connect to World Race you might ask?!? Well, I see World Race as a bit of an adventure: travelling to 11 countries, sleeping on a mat for almost a year, eating strange food, and doing who knows what. Oh ya, and did I mention…. We are supposed to be flexible! You know, like if something changes at the last minute, we are supposed to be ok with that!! Oh yeah…. Real blood-pumping adrenaline!!
My dream for years has been to move to a ranch out west to work with troubled kids. I have applied to different organizations out there, but nothing has ever fallen together for me. So I applied to World Race, just because. When I was first accepted, I had a hard time being excited; this is not where I saw my life going. At first I just felt surreal, like why does this go through when my dream is not happening. And why does this door just open wide, when the door that I’ve been trying to beat down just won’t budge?!?
So to answer the question, “Why world race?” There is no logical answer, but Jesus… I decided to apply to World Race, because “why not?” it never hurts to try. Then suddenly, I am receiving calls and information about World Race, and getting set up for an interview. I go into the interview with my typical ‘business professional’ attitude, advertising my qualities to full advantage. It wasn’t far into the interview when I realized that this is not about what I can give, what I can bring to World Race, but rather- “who really is Anna, and how have experiences in her life shaped her into the person she is today?!” It was in-depth, and personal, all the gross and dirty, secrets that I would rather not tell anyone. What a first impression!! Through it all, I don’t remember talking about my ‘good’ qualities. “All our righteousness are as dirty rags” (Isaiah 64:6
). But it all felt so spirit-led: from the beginning where my interviewer asked she could lead in prayer, to the end where she asked me if I would close in prayer. And after all that- I got accepted!! I still feel surreal about all this….Like is it really happening?! It’s so easy to only focus on the big obstacles, like how am I ever going to raise all that money, purchase all the gear I need, and tackle the big packing list. But through it all, I see how God has led me this far, and I know He will not leave me stranded, but will continue to provide, and give me the guidance I need!!
