- My heart is in Guatemala and I want to be a missionary there when I’m older.
- I LOVE working with children, any age.
- I Love traveling and anything adventurous.
- Music and sports are amazing to me and my favorite instrument is the cajon.
- I love coffee.. a little too much.
- And I love Jesus even more!!!
If you’re wondering why I’m doing The World Race gap year, here it is! It all started, this past summer at a camp called, “Crossroads Summer Camp.” The famous Clayton and Shari King spoke to the crowd of about 1,000 other high school and middle school students for the week, but I felt like they were speaking directly to me. This was the first time I was truly engaged in anything related to Jesus! I soaked it up, absorbed it, and COULD NOT get enough of it.
If you knew me before I attended this camp, I had no relationship with Jesus. I was in a constant state of partying and depression, even though I claimed to be a Christian. Well, the reality of it is: I was just a Sunday Christian. I went to church maybe one Sunday a month, to please my parents, and I secretly hated church. I believed there was a God, but did not care enough to live out a life with Him or get to know Him at all. My heart was so bitter and cold towards everything and I had hit rock bottom. I was hopeless.
Towards the end of Crossroads camp, I felt a huge calling to ministry on my heart. I knew I needed to change my life around and everything finally clicked for me. I fell in LOVE with Christ and I wanted everyone to be able to experience a relationship with Him and hear the perfect and unchangeable Gospel.
For the next couple months, I prayed and asked God to fix and transform my heart, mind and eyes to see and love like Him. He was faithful in answering my prayers.
The Lord has been working in my life and community so much recently. I am trying to live out my calling to ministry now, whether it’s locally or out of the country. At my school, me and three other girls have started an all girls ministry/club called “J.O.Y.” It stands for: Jesus. Others. Yourself. With tons of prayer and work, God has allowed us to minister and mentor to 60 plus girls every Tuesday during our hour long, school lunch. I also teach and help direct a children’s ministry called AWANA, at my church. The Lord has put many more opportunities, at my church and in my community, along with awesome mentors, in my life within the past 6 months that have grown me immensely.
I feel very called to Guatemala and it feels like home there. I have such a heart for helping children and people and sharing the Gospel, but I have a special connection with Guatemala. This may or may not be God’s plan for me, but for now, I want to do the World Race before I start college so that I can see specific needs around the world. For example, if teaching English, or ESL, is a large need in places around the world, that will be a consideration for what I might major in. Since I plan to be a full time missionary after college, and there isn’t much money in missions anymore, I need to have a job aside of my mission work to be able to make a living. Once again, this might not be what the Lord has planned for me, but I am praying about it consistently and I will go wherever the Lord takes me for His glory. Joshua 1:9 says: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The World Race will be a nine month mission to 3 different continents. My team and I will be going to Swaziland, Lesotho, India, Nepal, and Nicaragua to share the Gospel, build churches, work with, and love on the poor, rich, or broken, and experience Jesus to the fullest everyday!!! We will leave out in September of 2017 and I will need to raise $14,951 total. During the trip, you can follow my blog on this website or social media (Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook).
It’s amazing how much God has already grown me from this broken, bitter girl I used to be, to the newly, alive in Him, peaceful, & loving child of Him. He is unstoppable and such a COOL God!!! The World Race will definitely push me, grow me, and make me see Jesus in ways I’ve never seen before, but I can’t wait. I’m literally pumped to live the most free life, side by side these pure, kind-hearted people for almost a year, with my comforts taken away and a ton of JESUS!!
If you took the time to read this huge summary of the super, awesome things God did/is doing in my life, it would mean the world to me if you could pray for:
- the safety of the team and other teams
- the people and lands we will be visiting
- the world and the Adventures organization in general
- fundraising for the team/organization
- etc.
If you feel lead to donate, any amount would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks so much!
With tons of love,
-Annie Bolick
