For a long time, a desire to help those in need has been growing inside of me. It’s become an overwhelming passion, and now in September 2018, I get to do something with this passion. I will be leaving home to travel with the World Race Gap Year Program to Thailand, Malaysia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. There, I will be serving the impoverished people of those countries in whatever way I can. The World Race Gap Year program under the Adventures in Missions organization is a nine-month Christian missionary trip that takes a group of eighteen to twenty-year-olds to four countries in nine months. Adventures in Missions partners with churches and ministries to provide sustainable help to people in need around the world. This is more than giving $20 to the homeless man on the side of the road; this is laying everything down and going to live beside people and making a lasting difference in countries where governments cannot provide the help needed. To embark on this journey, I need your help; I need to raise $15,800 dollars.
(Photo by Jordan Wilson with World Race in Cambodia)
The reason I am so passionate about helping others is because five years ago Jesus changed my life forever. It all started with Camp Timberline, a beautiful plot nestled in the Rocky Mountains, where the air is alight with the smell of rain and pine trees, and it is so peaceful and joyful that it seems heaven touches earth. Growing up, I never went to church. I thought it was boring and strict, and I was glad my parents never made me go. When I was nine, my dad heard about a fantastic camp, and he signed me up without even telling me. I was horrified. The idea of being away from home for a week scared me, and I couldn’t believe they hadn’t even asked me if I wanted to go. Yet, I ended up loving it. From the moment I got there, the counselors were so full of love and excitement that you couldn’t help but be excited too. We did so many fun things at camp that I immediately wanted to come back. My counselors also talked about Jesus, but I didn’t want to believe what they said. I sensed that believing in Jesus would change me, and I was scared of that change. Little did I know how big and how wonderful the change Jesus would bring to my life really was. So I kept going back to camp, simply because it was a blast, and four years later I sat in stunned awe in the Party Barn. The Party Barn, where the big blue gym mats always smell like a couple hundred kids’ smelly feet, and where excitement and exhaustion hang in the air like water vapor. That night the speaker told us the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. I had obviously heard of Jesus before, but I had never heard about how he died for us. How much he went through and that he went through it all because he loves us. I sat in awe that night overwhelmed by what I had heard. Overwhelmed that Jesus could love us so much, love me so much. I’m still in awe. The speaker said that we could choose to accept Jesus into our hearts. In that moment, I felt like Jesus was knocking on the door to my heart. I envisioned myself sitting in a room with Jesus on the other side of the door, and I remember being afraid to open it, but at the same time I was desperate to meet Jesus: the one who said he loved me so much. Jesus kept knocking, and hesitantly, I let him in. As I envisioned opening the door to my heart, I felt a rush of love, hope, and peace. It was like I had never known love before. That feeling was so wonderful and precious that I cannot even begin to describe it in words. That night I began to realize who Jesus really is. I felt His presence and love very tangibly, and it was just the beginning.
A year ago, I went to One Thing, a youth conference in Kansas City. One Thing ended up being one of the most powerful and wonderful experiences of my life. My roommate for the trip had a boot and her foot was causing her a lot of pain, so my youth group often stopped to pray for healing of her foot. After a few times of praying for her foot, I became frustrated. I remember thinking “Don’t these people notice nothing ever happens when we pray.” Yet, that night the whole conference experienced miraculous healing firsthand. The speaker asked people to raise their hands if they had blindness or deafness of any sort and when we had all prayed for the people around us, the speaker asked people to wave their hands if they had been healed. Everywhere hands waved and cheered. The celebration was nothing like I could have imagined. I felt my heart might start dancing and leave my chest. The deaf really heard! The blind really saw! I wanted to scream, shout, dance, but all I could do was stand there in unexplainable awe and joy. As I stood there worshiping, my roommate came bounding up. She was carrying her boot and jumping around. It was 1:00 am by the time we left and I’m pretty sure we all skipped out of there. I left changed.
I am not the same person I was five years ago, or a year ago, or even yesterday. I feel like God is shaping me to be more and more like him, and there’s nothing I want more. I want to live the commandment of love that Jesus gave in the Bible, and I feel that God is calling me to go on the World Race Gap Year. He’s calling me to truly serve others as he served us. I also hope this trip will give me a chance to see life in a new light, to experience other cultures and places, to mature, and to find God’s calling on my life. I’m not the same girl that was scared to leave home for a week, or the one that brought a human-sized duffle bag to sleepovers. On World Race, we will be gone for nine months with only what we can carry on our backs. Some things are terrifying and crazy and amazing and exciting all at the same time, and I figure if I’m doing those things, I’m where I want to be in my life.
(Photo by Allison Ngo with the World Race)
The purpose of World Race is to bring hope, comfort, and sustainable help to many people all around the world. When going on this nine month missionary trip, I am not trying to change or disrespect the cultures of the countries we go to. I have the utmost respect for other cultures and religions. I do not believe Christianity is supposed to be a religion based on do’s and don’ts but rather that Christianity is meant to be a relationship with Jesus, that, as a follower of him, I may become more like him, living with his spirit, the spirit of love and humility. I want to help people, and I know that Jesus is the greatest helper and that he loves everyone equally and deeply. When I travel, I will bear the name of Jesus, I will share the gospel and the love of Jesus on this trip, but please understand that sharing Jesus is not an arm wrestle to get people to follow another religion. It’s just that, sharing. Sharing what Jesus means to me, how great I have seen his love to be. I will be there to help, and along way, if anyone wants to listen about Jesus they can.
To help the people in Thailand, Malaysia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, my team and I will be serving in partnership with local churches and ministries and we will be doing a large variety of things to help. On the trip, I will meet the needs that arise, which means I will be doing things like giving out food, teaching English, taking care of orphans, building a well, talking to people in the streets, planting crops, and/or painting a church. Anything you can think of to help, I will probably be doing.
(Photo by Suzanna Moreland in the Philippines)
Please consider funding me in this trip and funding the people I will be helping. I will be immensely grateful for whatever you can donate. Plus, whatever you give will be matched dollar for dollar by my corporate sponsor, Bell ATM Services Inc., up to $5,000. I would really appreciate it if you would partner with me in reaching those in need across the seas. To donate, just hit donate above.
THANK YOU so much for your support!
