I keep getting the same question over and over…”Why the World Race?” For those of you who are just learning of this adventure God has decided to call me on this may come across as shocking. Eleven countries in eleven months…Yes, God has decided to use me in the mission field and send me out among the nations. Mission work has always been near to my heart. I had the chance to serve in Costa Rica with my home church during my senior year of high school, and since then a piece of my heart has stuck with the idea of missions. I’ve supported multiple friends financially and through prayer on the missions that God called them on, and each one has led me to the adventure I find in front of me now. I will be leaving in August to serve in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
I recently reflected on the past 24 months of my life with someone who knows me better than most. During this reflection I realized a common theme in my life over that time..About two years ago I wrapped up my first year as a teacher on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and ended up moving home in what can’t be described by any word other than broken..I felt lonely, inadequate, and full of anxiety and depression, which only led to my spiritual life suffering greatly. It was at this point that the theme first started to show..I was running from something..During the summer God decided to surround me with people who would only encourage and love me, and during a “guy’s night” with one of my best friends I had a conversation about how the Book of Jonah kept showing up in my devotionals and how it echoed this running feeling I had about my life. The problem was I didn’t know what God wanted me to do. Life continued on and the running feeling right along with it. About that time I rekindled a friendship that would bloom into someone I shared everything with. This was someone who held me accountable and pushed me to focus on my relationship with God. I no longer felt broken, anxious, inadequate. I now felt very secure in my faith and was probably on one of the biggest spiritual highs of my life. I was able to get a job teaching/coaching at the high school I graduated from where I would help out with soccer and oddly enough, become the head cross country coach (we’re back to running again). So between this job and the relationships in my life I was riding high. At this point it’s been nearly ten months of this high, and I found myself beginning to be tested. I put my heart into coaching as most of the kids on my teams will tell you. I bond with my players very quickly and in a very strong fashion. It was at this time that I would experience what I consider my first brush with real loss when one of my senior players took his own life. I was confused and angry at God, and again I found myself running away spiritually. I tried my best to keep everything together, but the people closest to me could tell I was unraveling. I finally fell apart to the point that I had nearly abandoned my personal relationship with God, which would affect my life in all facets. A handful of months later I would read a blog written by my friend who talked about the Book of Jonah. I vividly remember breaking out into a laugh at the reappearance of this theme. I heard about the World Race through a mutual friend who I decided to start funding. My first thought was that it sounded like something I would like to do, but I had too much going on in my life here. Then it hit me, this was God’s answer to what he wanted me to do..It would take me a good four months to commit, but in those four months God prepared my heart and my mind for the journey ahead. He healed my wounds and allowed me to grow so much mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so that I would be able to best serve Him. While leaving my comfort zone, friends, job and family for 11 months still makes me nervous at times, I’ve never been more sure that this is what God wants me running towards!
However, I can’t make this journey alone. If you would like to support me along this journey there are a few ways in which you can do so. The first is through prayer, which I can never get enough of. Please pray for my squad that I will be serving with and the communities in which we will be serving. Secondly, you can support me financially. There are a few ways you can donate which I will detail more in my next blog. Lastly, you can support me through subscribing to my page and keeping up with my blogs and pictures over my 11 month journey to see how God is moving in our world.
Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know my story and for your support!
