Dear Family and Friends,
Have you ever had a burning desire inside of you to do something? Something you knew was 100% right but everyone else thought was 100% wrong? It was like everyone was throwing water on your burning fire until even you started throwing water on it too. You started to hope that the urge would go away so that everyone would stop judging and asking why. You didn’t even get why, they bothered asking why, because they’d just turn it into a joke.
A little less than a year ago that happened to me. I was a senior in a high school where enlisting or going to college were the only two options. Along with everyone else in my class, I had applied to and visited countless numbers of universities. Something was always off to me at each place I visited though. The more campuses I walked across the more the off feeling grew stronger.
At first, I was frustrated and then I was angered. Was I stupid? I kept telling myself, “I aspire to be an International Missionary Surgeon with a focus in Pediatric Oncology, of course I need to attend college!” I became angry because not only do I aspire to be that but I feel called by God to do so. With that on my mind why didn’t any college feel like the one? At the time I didn’t know and therefore continued the endless search. I kept thinking that if I didn’t go to college that I’d be letting everyone down: my friends, teachers, parents, and overall God. With time I grew more angry and frustrated. I started giving up looking at colleges and began searching for other things to do after graduating. That’s when I fell in
love with The World Race Gap Year.
The World Race Gap Year is a mission trip that travels to 3 continents (Southeast Asia, Central America, and Africa for mine) over the course of 9 months. I read blogs, watched videos, and even opened, filled out, and then closed the application page many times. At this point I was lost and didn’t have a clue as to what to do. God was calling me to be something, why couldn’t I just obey him? How could I be looking for options to get out of His plan for me? A million questioned whirled through my mind and consumed my thoughts. The frustration and anger was at an all time high now.
That’s when I started to really pray about college. I asked for Our Father to take away all desires to want to do anything but get my degrees and fulfill his dream. The more I prayed though the stronger the urge to take the gap year grew. So, I changed my prayer. I started to ask why this burning passion to go was still in me. Was it God calling me to go now instead of waiting? One day after praying I opened my laptop to go to www.collegeboard.com and instead ended up at www.theworldrace.org. That’s when I knew. It wasn’t me who wanted to go on this trip, it was God wanting me to go. I wanted to go to college right away and get my degree.
The World Race Gap Year felt so right that I couldn’t continue to close the application page without hitting submit. So, on that day I submitted my application. I asked everyone what they thought about my plan after high school and most laughed. They made jokes, questioned why only to tell me I was wrong, and in the end told me to get an education first. The one thing I didn’t tell a soul was that I had already applied and was set on going.
Only after my first phone interview did I tell my parents what I was doing. My mom was completely on board with it and my dad questioned it but in the end jumped on as well. (If any of you know my dad he’s all about school and careers and so I most likely have God to thank for him being okay with it!) With both parents on ship instead of asking others about it, I started telling them about it. To my surprise people started to come around. But with that came multitudes of questions. The number one question being, “why?”. I never have been able to come up with a why though because I personally don’t have one. The reason I’m going is because I feel called to go. I, myself, would love to know why I’m being called so if God tells you, PLEASE fill me in. Some people are confused by my reasoning for going but continue to ask the second infamous question, “what will you be doing?”
While on the field My team and I will be praying over and feeding people living in slums, helping get women out of human trafficking, building churches and homes for some of the most broken, and most importantly spreading the light of God to some of the darkest places. The questions continue and the one statement most people get a kick out of is that starting the first week of September all I’ll have is what’s on my back. People normally die of laughter at that because if you know me you also know that I love clothes and shopping and being clean. After they know that I tell them again that I’m doing this for one purpose only, God. They normally understand a little more then because knowing me I probably wouldn’t choose this on my own.
However, regardless of picking this journey for myself or not I can’t say that I’m not filled with glee thinking about the faith testing journey I’m about to embark on. The thought of seeing and helping the world through the eyes of God brings tears of joy to my own.
With all that being said, I’m going to ask two things of you all…
1. If you feel it in your heart to donate, please do so. BUT please pray about it first. If you truly feel called to give, I’d greatly appreciate it. Every tiny bit counts. At this moment I have $10,097 funded for my trip and I need $12,500 by August 18th and $14,000 by September 3rd. You can donate by mailing or giving me a check personally or by credit card online. (If you do online all you need to do is go to my personal blog, click the orange support me tab in the bottom right and follow the instructions!)
2. Please be praying for my team and I as we embark on this faith testing journey.
Doing either of these two things will make this voyage not only mine, but yours as well. Without the help of any of you this trip simply won’t be possible.
If you would like to know more about my trip you can read about it at courtpeterson.theworldrace.org. You can subscribe to my blog and get updates when I post blogs or pictures while I’m on the field and also for the remaining time I am at home. All you have to do is click on the blue follow me button in the bottom right hand corner and then enter your cell number or email!
Also I’d love to talk to you all and see how you’re doing so don’t hesitate to contact me. Or if you have questions about my trip please feel free to contact me in anyway (facebook, text, call, email, ect.) Also, if there’s anything you’d like me to personally be praying for you about, please let me know. I’d love to send a request up to the big papa for you!
With great love and blessings,
Courtney Peterson
Cell:
Email: [email protected]
Blog: courtpeterson.theworldrace.org
