Often, when I talk to people that are going on The World Race, either going before me or with me, the question comes up- “What is your story? How did you get connected to the Race?”
Well, in short, the answer is GOD. Sounds cliche, that its a “cop out” answer, but it’s totally and completely the right answer. God is ultimately how we are doing what we are doing, but He gives us each a story. Our stories connect us, encourage us, and let us praise God together. Most aren’t easy, a lot are surrounded with MANY tears, but each is unique and shows us more of God.
This is my story. (It’ll take a few minutes- better get comfortable)
I went to Bob Jones (a private Christian school system) for 17 years. Yupp, seventeen years. Kindergarten through graduating college in 2011. In college, the administration encouraged the students to take a couple years after graduating and do ministry/mission work for God. I thought that was an interesting idea but not necessarily for me. I graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. The economy was at a low point in 2011 and the job market was all but a bust. After living in SC for 20 years, I moved to North Carolina immediately following graduation. I had been working at the Olive Garden through college, so I transferred to one in NC, near my grandparents.
I kept looking for an accounting job. I ended up getting a temporary job in Spartanburg, SC and a few months later I got a different one in Fountain Inn, SC. All that to say that I moved around A LOT- I didn’t have a home church. I eventually got hired on with the company in Fountain Inn- it looked like I had finally settled into the path that my life was taking.
**ENTER THE WORLD RACE** A girl that I had gone to high school with was going to go on the Race. I saw posts, read blogs, and thought, “that would be cool but I can’t do that- I have a ‘big girl’ job.” I decided to find a home church and try to get connected to some mission work.
I visited a church with my mom: CityLights Fellowship in Greenville. I absolutely LOVED it!! I knew from that first Sunday that THIS was where GOD wanted me. So I started going there. CityLights was a new church that had just started up and fully involved with missions- so, I got connected and started serving in the church. Soo good!
Life was going well- while everything was not ideal- I had a lot to be thankful for: I had an accounting job, a good serving job, I lived in Fountain Inn with a girl I worked with, and now I was serving in the church God wanted me in!
**ENTER GOD** (Disclaimer: I know that God was/is there in my life the whole time- I just wanted some similar formatting :))
Our lead pastor has said many times that sometimes people grow closest to God when they lose everything. (This is NOT a quote from him, this is me paraphrasing) I prayed to God that He would do whatever necessary if I was not where He wanted me, if I had things holding me back from Him, if my ‘stuff’ was hindering my relationship with him. Within the week, I was fired from my accounting job.
It sounds bad– it wasn’t
Almost immediately, I realized that God took that job away from me because He wanted me to have Him as my security blanket. I had been using that job as security because I was living off of the money that I made from serving.
So- I kept serving and just started looking for another accounting job.
On a side note: my friend from the World Race returned two months later.
Right after she returned, I got kicked out of my house.
I never would have left that house- so I assumed God was just getting me out of that situation. I didn’t really understand why it happened, but I knew God had a reason.
One week after that, three days before Christmas, I lost my serving job.
I lost it. I didn’t know what was happening.
My family went to the beach for New Years. On New Years Day, I sat on the beach and talked to God a couple hours: I talked with Him about my future, what He wanted me to do with my life.
When we returned from the beach, my CITYgroup (church small group) met. One of the girls said that she was planning on going on a mission trip to Nicaragua in the summer. I looked at her and said, “what if I wanted to go on the mission trip too, could I go?” She said, “the mission board has a specific group for ‘older’ people… it’s called… The World Race?”
I got chills.
That is when I started praying about the trip.
A few days later, I got online to start filling out some applications for jobs. I ended up signing up for the Race. That blew my mind. Throughout the next few weeks I prayed about the trip, I had friends and family praying with me, and I actually received quite a bit of opposition.
Through many acts of affirmation, I know that God wants me to go on this trip!!
<3 Ash
