When I was in middle school, I spent a good majority of my slow summer days and last 20 minutes of homework time in class sketching single family floor plans. I’m not sure if it was me designing my dream home or making up for my lack of abstract artistic abilities by sketching boxes attached to each other with the occasional door leading to the next room.
I’m not sure what intrigued me about it, but I loved it.
Eight months before September 2016, I was given a new position at work that allowed me to do everything I dreamed of as a kid and more. With no experience, no software knowledge and about four other jobs on top of designing, I took it and it was most definitely a God thing.
I fasted for the first time a month before this position was offered to me, and while I was praying for something else entirely, God exceeded all my expectations and elevated me into a position that was my ultimate playground.
I had recently moved into my own apartment which meant the photo above was my view to and from work, no debt, had just started school, visiting family on the weekends… it was perfect.
It was on my drives home from work that I started becoming envious of the nice cars people had and starting thinking about nicer apartments I could move into when my lease is up. This went on for about a month before those thoughts started giving me a bad taste in my mouth. I hate that I cared about other people’s cars or nicer apartments. I was getting too comfortable and realized THIS IS NOT THE LIFE I WANT.
I want to live for God and that means being bold, uncomfortable, sacrificial, loving, generous, etc. The Apostle Peter dropped his fishing nets (his job, source of income, reputation, etc) and followed Jesus at His call and I asked myself a tough question: “Am I acting like Peter?”
I feel like my thoughts kept taking be back to four years ago, when a man handed me his card and explained The World Race to me. He was an alum and God was continuously day after day poking me to check it out again. It got so bad, I was on the website more than once a day and spending hours at night watching vlogs (video blogs) of previous world racers… dreaming.
God had opened the doors to provide for me my ultimate growing space and playground with single-family design, but in September my heart was now calling me somewhere else and God was telling me to listen.
I ask that whoever is reading this, please support me with as little as $10 toward the $18,700 needed for me to follow where God is leading me. Every dollar is spent towards my food, transportation, insurance and missions work in order to complete the trip. I desperately need support in order to raise this amount, so please consider giving what you can by clicking the “Donate” button at the top of this page.
Not everyone is called to GO, but many people are called to GIVE and many are called to PRAY. You are just as much apart of the calling God has for us to GO INTO THE WORLD and PREACH THE GOSPEL to all nations.
God does not always call the qualified, but qualifies the called.
The World Race is an 11 month missions trip to 11 different countries. Below are the countries I’ll be going to:
- Morocco
- Spain
- Turkey
- Tajikistan
- Kyrgyzstan
- India
- Nepal
- Indonesia
- China
- Malaysia
- Australia
Xoxo
Ariel
