So, you’ve heard that I’m leaving in January… or maybe you just saw this link on my Facebook page and wondered what in the world everyone was asking me. So, here it is: I’m leaving January 7, 2016 to go on an adventure of a lifetime.
God has faithfully led me to an amazing opportunity to serve Him on a journey beginning January 2016. This journey is called the World Race. The World Race is an 11-month mission trip to 11 different countries around the world through an organization called Adventures in Missions.
While spending one month in each country, I will be working with local churches and organizations to meet the needs of the community while spreading the Gospel. Ministry in these places will look different each month. It will include preaching and teaching in churches, door-to-door ministry, loving on children in orphanages, doing construction work, ministering to sex-trafficking victims, and whatever it takes to bring God’s kingdom to earth and share His love around the world.
I have always had a passion for missions in my heart – ever since my first, literal, mountain top experience in Patate, Ecuador in 2006. Since then, I have eagerly gone on any and every mission trip I could work into my schedule, whether it be to Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico or just up the road a few hours to West Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky.
I first heard of the World Race a few years ago when a girl I knew went on it. I thought it looked interesting and fun but never really had a desire to be away from home and my family for almost a full year! This year, however, I prayed a lot about where I should be going with life in order to follow the plan that God has for me and the World Race seemed to always come back up in situations… as if God was screaming, “Go!” With Papa’s recent death in January, I finally decided I’d at least apply for a position on a team to see if it was even an option. After hours of in-depth interview processes and a few weeks of waiting to hear back from the organization, I was finally accepted!
I am excited to see what God is going to do over the next year and how He will use the lives of those on the January 2016 race to change not only ourselves, but also the lives of those we serve. I will face many challenges throughout the World Race, like not having hot water and living out of a backpack for a year, so I will definitely be needing some support in prayer from all of you here back at home.
I would like to invite you to get involved, pray, and become invested in this life-changing opportunity by following me via my blog at annalaurenmeeks.theworldrace.org. There is also a link on this blog for donations if you’d like to contribute financially. All you have to do is click “support me” link on the left hand side and then type in the amount you’d like to give.
Thanks in advance for any and all support – through prayer or finances!
For His Glory and His Kingdom,
Anna Lauren
