What’s up everyone! I am now officially under a month until I launch for the World Race, and I have been receiving a lot of questions about this awesome journey that I am about to embark on, so I thought that I would write a whole blog dedicated to all of your questions!
I hope to do more of these blogs periodically throughout the race, so if you have any questions at any point feel free to comment in the blog section or email me at [email protected]! with your questions, and I will answer them!
What exactly is the World Race?
This is the number one question that I get all the time. The World Race is and 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries, which means that I’ll be spending about 1 month in each country serving the people in the city/town/region of that country.
What church is the World Race associated with?
Actually The World Race is program through an organization called Adventures in Missions (AIM) that takes 21-35 year old young adults who have a desire to serve God and to make a difference in the world today. It’s a challenging adventure in which we get to live like Jesus’s disciples by means of having limited possessions and leaving behind our traditional lives, and serving God’s people in some of the darkest places in the world today all for the glory of His Kingdom.
How did you find out about the World Race?
I first learned about the World Race from a friend of mine that was in my small group in BSF back in 2016 as she had applied and was accepted into it and was actively fundraising for it with her launch being in August of that same year. I followed her journey via her blog as well as all the times that her parents would bring her up in their lectures for they were our head teaching leaders at the time. Little did I know that it was though her, and following her journey that God was working in my heart, and preparing me for my call to go on the Race as well.
So what made you decide to go on the Race?
The short version of the answer to this question is this for there were so many factors behind my choice to pursue going on the Race.
So the short answer is this: To put it simply, I was becoming frustrated with the way my life was going at my age, and I had all these dreams & expectations, and felt like wasting my second chance at life that God had given to me after battling severe depression. I cried out to God, and in my moment of reaching out to him, and asking him what he wanted me to do, he reveled to me the World Race which by now was something that I had shoved in the back of my mind since I figured that there was no way an over 30 year old would get accepted even tho it when up to the age of 35. I was shocked for it was the last thing that I had expected but as I’ve learned that nothing with God is unexpected with him for it is all part of this plan for me, and in my moment of weakness he used that time to give me the next part of his plan for me.
Where are you going, and how did you pick this route?
Belize-Hounduras-El Salvador-Vietnam-Cambodia-Albania-Serbia-Romania-Ethopia-Uganda & Rwanda
I picked this route for both personal & prayerful reasons. I have also learned through this route as well that God does indeed have a sense of humor, and that he a timing for everything.
I remember as a kid watching the nightly news and hearing about all the awful events that were taking place in the faraway lands of both Rwanda and Serbia, and I felt sad, and wished that there was something that I could do to help but didn’t know how back then, and little did I know that thought I had when I was a kid would come full circle to today and I truly feel that now I can go to those countries and provide a sense of hope and comfort to the people who lived though those terrible times of those countries, and help in the ongoing recovery of that country.
The other country on here that has a deep personal connection to me is Vietnam. You see my dad is a Vietnam veteran having served in the US Air Force during the war, and was there during the Tet Offensive in 1968, and it is because of him that I have always wanted to go to Vietnam since I’ve heard his stories from being there at that time in our history, and it has always interested me. I am very close to my dad, so it is an honor for me to have a chance to go to the country he served in to serve in myself but only in a different way.
As far as the other countries that I will serving in goes, I see them as other areas in which I am called to served, and I am looking forward to what plans God will have for me and the rest of my squad in all of these countries.
As far the the country that showed me God has a sense of humor with is Uganda. With God’s timing, back in 2006 my church had a all church mission trip opportunity to go to Romania to serve the people there, and I wanted to go, but due to my internship I was unable to go, and I was mad, but not I understand that it was not my time to go there yet, and that God had this planned for me the whole time.
Are you going on this mission trip alone?
Fortunately no, so you can rest easy knowing that. As a matter of fact I am going with 38 other incredible like minded Christian young adults who make up P Squad, and from our squad we are broken down into 7 teams of 6 racers.
P Squad consists of 35 women & 3 guys ranging in ages from 21-33 from all over the US
I have the pleasure of being able to live with & serve with 5 other awesome gals for at least half the year as Team Surrendered
August 2018 Squad Wars Champs! Freedom Fighters! Squad of Honor!
What will you be doing once you get to the country?
Once we land in that country as a squad, We will split up into our teams and travel to our ministry host where we will live with them, and serve in their ministry whatever that ministry is, which could range from a variety of services from teaching/leading in church/manual labor/street ministry/serving the outcasts of society.
What have you been doing to prepare for the adventure of a lifetime?
I have been doing things to prepare myself both physically & spiritually by: Attending church every sunday, mission meetings, serving in my local community on various projects, BSF, working out at the gym
As well as spending 10 days sweating nonstop in the Georgia heat at training camp back in August & I have 3 more days of training in October 5-7 before flying to Belize on Oct. 8th!
How many shots have you received?
I have received a grand total of 12 vaccines (Meningitis, Rabies, Yellow Fever, JE, Typhoid, Cholera, Hep A&B, TDP, MMR, Polio & Flu) plus I am going to taking a preventive course of malaria pills in certain countries that are high risk.
What are you seeking from this adventure?
Good question! The main thing that I am seeking is to essentially find my purpose that God has for me, and my life. I also want to grow in my faith more, and continue to be an obedient servant of his.
What are you most/least excited about your journey?
I am prob the most excited about finally fulfilling a promise that I made to God when I was 17 as I am big on keeping promises that I make. I am also extremely excited to travel & see the World while having a higher purpose to do so, and to be able to use my photography skills to document it all. I am excited to meet people & experience their culture, and learning about their history & hearing their stories.
While most goodbyes for me will be easy, there are some people that I am NOT looking forward to having to say goodbye to certain people here at home as I have built some awesome friendships in recent years, and to be honest I suck at goodbyes, so that will be hard. So these goodbyes are one of the things that I”ll be looking forward to the least, and flying as I am not a huge fan of it especially long flights, and flying over water.
Also one of the things that I am scared about is getting sick/bitten or stung by something & not knowing how I might react to it.
How can I pray for you?
Pray for not only my health and safety, but for the health/safety of the rest of my squamates, pray for me and my team as we are serving the people of all these countries, and most importantly pray for our ministry hosts, and the people that they serve as well as for the countries that we are going to as a whole.
Fundraising
Til next time your fellow sister in Christ,
Bonnie
Psalms 18:2
P Squad aka Freedom Fighters & Squad Wars Champs
Team Surrendered
YOLO
