For the last few weeks, I’ve realized that I haven’t really explained why I chose to pursue a mission trip, much less the 11 month whirlwind of the World Race. Yes, in the beginning I mentioned that I didn’t want to jump right into finding a “big kid” job and settling down, so a mission or service trip was right up my alley. However, that’s not the only reason I’m leaving. I’m not taking a year-long vacation to bop around the world so I can brag to all my friends about the things I’ve done. I’m not leaving the stresses of the “real world” for a year because I just don’t want to grow up yet. If I wanted to do these things, I’d probably go about it differently- maybe staying in hotels, places with running water, ya know, not sleeping on the ground for a year. This isn’t a vacation for me. This is an adventure with and for our God.
I read an article not too long ago about what it looks like to have a life with Christ. It kinda rocked my world; I felt like God was speaking to me through the article, confirming that the World Race is exactly where He wants me. The big message was that God wants a love that’s total. God doesn’t want us to love Him on Sundays during that hour or so we’re in church, and then set Him aside for the rest of the week. Being Christian isn’t just one part of us-it is who we are, and because of that, our number one priority needs to be to follow Him and expand His kingdom.
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
Just doing a little bit of research on the countries I’ll be going to, I’ve found that some of the countries are home to a frighteningly low number of Christians. In Thailand, 0.7% of the population is Christian, 0.2% of the population in Turkey, Cambodia is home to 1.3%, and Vietnam is around 8.7%. Guys. By far, the majority of people in these countries haven’t even heard of the hope and love of Jesus. They didn’t grow up with His message of love and forgiveness like I did. If our number one priority is to proclaim the Kingdom, these are the places we need to be going.
God created each of us with a purpose- we all have our own part in bringing about the kingdom, and we need to discover how God wants us to use our lives to spread his love. It’s not about us or what we want, folks. It’s about God and his love and his hope and forgiveness and his kingdom- and we need to figure out what our part is in his massive playbook. I’ve prayed and attempted to listen for his voice in making the decision to go on the World Race, and He is confirming it constantly. But like I said, we each play our own part. We have to work together as a team to spread the kingdom- while one person may go overseas to physically preach the gospel, there has to be plenty of others praying and supporting behind the scenes. While I know the part I’ll play for the next year, what’s yours?
“Go into ALL THE WORLD and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Thanks for reading! Please prayerfully consider working together with me to spread God’s love and hope to the nations. If you’d like to support me financially, click on the “Support Me!” link on the left side of your screen.
Thank you for your prayers! I only have about 4 more months before I launch! WOW! Time is flying, so please continue praying for my heart as I prepare for this adventure with God.
xo, Caitlin
