I am a talker. Shocking right. Yes, I go running off at the mouth unnecessarily a lot of the time. For the past few months this is something that the Lord has been trying to break me of. However I did not realize this until a few weeks ago. About a month ago, I met with some important folks to talk about the Race. They asked me questions about what I was doing and why I was doing it. Questions that I was not prepared to answer. Questions that even I 
did not know the answers too. So what did I do? I started talking to fill the space. And can I say that was not one of the most God glorifying moments of my life. It was almost like I could hear myself talking, but I could not stop the words that were coming out of my mouth. Unfortunately, they were not words that were full of the Spirit. Long story short I walked out feeling (and probably did) like I had insulted over half the people in the room, painting a negative picture of what the Race was about, making myself look like a complete fool and even more discouraged than I was when I walked in.
Did He completely deflate my ego in about the span of 30 minutes? Absolutely.
Did I painfully learn something from having my ego deflated? ABSOLUTELY.
As I have been processing over the past couple of weeks, I not only have I had to ask the Lord for forgiveness and for some more humbling, but also to reveal to me the answers to the questions I was asked. I know that I am called to the Race. But why wasn’t I able to answer those important questions?
Well, my ego was in the way. Once He got that out of the way He was able to remind me that my mission is simple. It is to spread the love of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Some are called to do missions here, some are called internationally. My mission to spread the gospel is no different than anyone else’s. It is no different than the guy sitting beside me at the Starbucks that I am now hunkered down at. Our mission, the Churches’ mission is to share the gospel. I am not super spiritual because I am choosing to leave. I am not super spiritual because I am going to be working in 3rd world countries. I am simply obeying the call placed upon my life for right now. Just as we are all given different spiritual gifts, we are all called to different places. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37). Because of this we must be willing to go where the Lord sends us.
But God, will I make an impact in these places?
Yes because the impact is not mine to make. It is the Lord’s. Changing a culture starts with impacting one life. Then they change another, and another, and so on. Ripple effects. In a harvest there are seeds that need to be planted, seeds and plants that need to be nurtured, and plants that need to be harvested. All of these are parts contributing to a plentiful crop that is received at the end of all that hard labor. Without these stages the crop is bad, and cannot be used or harvested. It is the same with the Race. We will be planting seeds, nurturing seedlings and plants. We may even get to harvest some. But every action will contribute to the glory of God and to the kingdom of heaven. The Race is about God and His kingdom. There are many ways to serve the kingdom, and this is just one.
But seriously, Lord. 11 countries in 11 months? What is the point? Why not just try and make an impact in one community instead of eleven?
The first time I answered this question I was not so graceful. However after some thought my answer still remains the same. The Lord has given me the opportunity to do ministry aboard in these 11 nations. This is where He opened the door. It is not about getting stamps on my passport. It is not about walking away from being an adult. It is not about the personal growth that I will experience. 
It IS about the kingdom of God. It is about seeing people transformed, and communities deepened by the love of our Savior. To see the chains of darkness released, the broken hearted restored and freedom declared through the name of Jesus Christ. To see Him bestow crowns of righteousness to those who do not think they deserve them, and garments of praise to those who have long been in despair. And to hear the nations declare HIS mighty name.
Can you support that?
