Gap year? Totally, completely blocked out of my mind. There’s absolutely no way I would go back to school, and no way it could be good for me, at all.
Who would’ve thought?!
I’ve always wanted to take a year to do missions. I’ve also always blocked any type of gap year out of my head, for fear of having no motivation of going back to college. I always said after college, and promised myself I could take a year to go then.
In July, I was talking to a sweet family friend about my plans for next year. I’m not sure how it came up, but I told her about my heart for missions and how I was making myself wait until after college. She had taken a gap year, and told me how good it was for her, and it even motivated her to go back! This was such a crazy thought; especially for an adult to tell me a gap year was “good!” Little did I know that such a simple conversation could change so much!!!
After this, I went on with every day life, and put the idea of a gap year in the back of my mind. It was too much of the unknown and I had no idea what it would look like. I stumbled upon the World Race Gap Year program through a friend telling me about it, and ended up applying just to see what would happen. A month later I was accepted, and had no idea what in the world I was going to decide!!
I prayed about it a lot, sought advice from other people, and just kept coming back to a yes! And it’s crazy, because throughout this time, God was working on my heart and speaking into my life through other people and my gut, and He kept leading me back to the World Race. And as I got closer and closer to deciding to commit, God replaced those fears of the unknown and just filled my heart with so much excitement!!!
And a few weeks later, I committed! And oh my goodness, I have never felt so excited (which is saying something, because I get really excited about a whole lot of things)!! Starting in October, I will be going to Thailand, Malawi, and Guatemala for nine months and doing missions work with pre-established organizations there!! I am unbelievably thrilled and can not wait to see all the crazy things Jesus is going to do and I can’t wait to see Him in new ways and grow in Him and share His crazy love with the world!!!
And now, the adventure begins, as I watch God bring in the funds I will need to serve Him around the world! Woohoo!!!
