I can’t believe I’m doing this. God is using ME to disciple and serve His people around the world. After a year of ignoring His command to go and brushing it under the carpet while living for myself, I am now trading in my American Dream for a Kingdom Dream. God is sending me on the World Race!
The World Race is an 11-month, 11-country journey around the globe run by the Christian organization Adventure in Missions. I will be traveling with a squad of about 50 other Christ followers, before breaking up into small teams and dispersing to local ministries in each country. The ministry I’ll be participating in will vary based on our location, but may include serving in orphanages, teaching English in schools, helping women and children who are victims of human trafficking, manual labor, praying over the sick in hospitals, etc.
I’ve grown up in church and have heard the Great Commission more times than I can count. Matthew 28:19 says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The Lord commands His believers to GO and spread His name worldwide among all people groups. However, it wasn’t until recently that I finally understood Christ’s mandate and how essential the missionary task is. How will broken people have a relationship with the Father if they never even have had the opportunity to hear the gospel, attend a church, or meet a Christian before?
Here in America, we have become too comfortable with Jesus. Many of us worship Him on Sundays, before then putting Him back into a little box we keep on a shelf, pulling Him out when we’re in need of help. Sometimes that shelf becomes dusty over the years, and we ignore that box for a very long time. But it’s still there. He’s still there. And no matter how long it’s been since we’ve opened that box and allowed Him into our lives, He is ENTHRALLED by us and LOVES us exactly where we are, not where we should be.
I don’t keep Jesus in a box on my shelf, but I do treat Him as the sidekick in my story. He’s like the best friend that keeps popping up but never is completely in the spotlight. If I were Harry Potter, He would be like my Ron Weasley. (Wow, I can’t believe I just compared Jesus to Ron Weasley). This redheaded best friend is present in every movie, but ultimately, it’s Harry Potter who is the protagonist and who takes the stage. My point is, for too long I have focused on myself, and my story, while having Jesus walk alongside me. It should be the other way around! Everything should revolve around God, and His story, while I simply walk alongside Him.
God is the author of my life. I provide the paper in my book while He writes out the words, chapter by chapter. Sometimes I have no idea what will be written on the next page, and it is utterly terrifying not having that control. Yet I can trust that He already knows what will be on the final page in my book! As long as I continue to lay the pages out before Him, He will continue to be the ever-consistent author.
I first heard about the World Race exactly a year ago, a few days after telling my best friend that I was suddenly interested in foreign missions. I was two months shy of graduation and had absolutely no idea what I was going to do after college. (Do any of us??) I remember an excitement bubbling inside of me as I researched The World Race and the organization in charge of it called Adventures in Missions. “I have to go,” I thought to myself. “I don’t know when or how but I have to go.” However, fear, selfishness, and excuses quickly trampled this thought. I was nowhere close to having $18,000 (the cost of the year-long trip), didn’t want to give up the comfort and safety of my home, was nervous of not being around close friends and family, and honestly was just scared to follow God’s voice.
But He persisted. He refused to take no for an answer and so for the next month after month after month, God ingrained that idea of the World Race so deeply in me. Soon I was thinking about it every day. Until I eventually said yes.
So here I am. 10 months away from departing on an adventure for God’s glory. My route is subject to change but as of now, I will be going to Haiti, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, India, Nepal, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Albania. I am incredibly excited to see how the Lord is going to work and expand His kingdom! I will face many challenges throughout my trip, and right now, my biggest one is raising financial and prayer support. I need YOUR help to participate in the World Race! I invite you to become a part of my journey by donating and partnering with me in prayer. You can give by scrolling to the top of this page and clicking the handy dandy, orange DONATE button, which will then walk you through the steps of giving online one-time or monthly. The other way to make your donation is by sending in a check (be sure to include my full name in the memo line!) to:
Adventures in Missions PO Box 742570 Atlanta, GA 30374-2570Lastly, I ask that you subscribe to this blog to receive updates whenever I post. By being on my email list, you will be the first to know of where I am on the globe, what I’m doing, and how God is working throughout the World Race. I appreciate your support wholeheartedly and just know that you are making a difference in the Lord’s work! Together, let’s stop treating Jesus like He’s Ron Weasley.
