I am in awe that the beginning of this amazing adventure is only 5 months away! I am so excited to be doing God’s work throughout these areas! Taking a gap year has been on my heart since last summer right before senior year. I was unsure at the time of what I would do exactly, just that God would lead me in the direction He had planned. After a few weeks of praying, I felt lead to check different roads for mission work. I looked into a few but eventually, (thanks to my friend Clarisse) I felt World Race would give me the best avenue I had been looking for.
The true moment I felt like this is what I was meant for was during a class in my homeschool co-op. We were watching a movie about Nate Saint, a missionary to Ecuador. As he took off in his plane for his first time to Ecuador I heard a voice in my head. All it said was, “Go.” I immediately told my mom, who was in the class next door teaching art. As I told her what I heard in class, we both started crying. We both knew that this was the path God wanted me to be on.
Out of the 6 routes to choose from, I felt really drawn to route 3. As I was reading about the different countries that we’d be visiting, I felt like this was the one for me. Africa itself has always been on my heart, however, I realized that the real reason that this appealed to me was the children that needed help in these specific countries. Swaziland especially has the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world, making many children orphaned.
I get more excited every day as the departure date approaches, however, there’s still so much to be done. Prayers are always appreciated as I am preparing not only my body for the trip but my faith and my soul. Pray for everyone I meet as well, that their hearts may be open and welcoming to the message I have to bring them. There’s a verse in Esther that I read after what God said and it really struck me. “Perhaps this is the moment for which you were created.” Esther 4:14. This verse gives me courage that what I’m doing is His work and, perhaps, this truly is the moment for which I was created.
