It all started when I was senior in high school. I was still searching for the “perfect” college to attend and knowing that I was going to graduate that coming May, it kind of freaked me out that I still didn’t know what I was going to do.
One night, when I was looking at a few different college websites, I thought, “what if I just skip college and go into mission work?” Without really realizing what I was doing, I typed in “mission trips for college aged students” into google. A long list of sites came up and among them was the Adventure In Missions (AIM) site. After looking at a few organizations I clicked on AIM’s site that directed me to The Passport page. I looked over the upcoming trips and AIM’s mission statement. Something was different about this organization but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was.
Then, there it was, the World Race (WR) link. I clicked on it and it was one of the strangest things that I had ever read. People going to 11 different countries in 11 months? They got to be crazy. No one can raise that much money and travel around like that. However, as I read more I decided that this whole thing was kind of cool. Then I realized that you had to be at least 21 years old to go. I immediately discarded the thought of ever going because I was only 17 years old at the time and I didn’t want to wait that long. Plus, I figured I’d probably forget all about it by the time I’m old enough to even apply.
In January, a few months after my little google episode, I attended a retreat with my youth group. No way was I ever prepared for what God was going to do. During that time I was really seeking God’s direction in what He had planned for me. Then one night during worship I really poured my heart out to Him and the word “missionary” popped into my head. I thought it was really weird because me, a missionary? That’ll never happen.
However, the months and the summer that followed God really worked in my heart. That summer I went on a local mission trip with my youth group and one to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. God allowed me to see the passion I had for helping those in need and really sparked something in me that was drawn to mission work. This was furthered when I went down to Joplin, MO with a small team from my church to help after the tornado hit in 2011.
The WR came up a few times throughout the years but it was never anything special. I checked out the site to watch the videos and read some of the blogs from current racers. Yet, something was drawing me more and more, each time I went on, to this thing that I had originally thought was so crazy. The more I read blogs and watched videos my heart ached to be there with them. I wanted to hold babies in Africa, teach little preschoolers, and share God’s love with these people.
I started to think about how I would exactly tell me parents. I mean, I would be gone a whole year and would have to raise a ton of money. I also knew they wouldn’t be thrilled about the idea of me traveling around the world. However, I prayed about it and felt that it was finally time to tell them what I felt God was calling me to. Planning out everything I was going to say (I’m a dork, I know haha) and printing out the parent information for them, I presented them with the idea of me actually doing this….And they said no.
I was crushed. I had no idea why they wouldn’t want me to go but they held some logical reasons and I wasn’t sure if they were ever going to change their minds. I didn’t want to go if I didn’t have my family’s support. So knowing that the situation was in God’s hands, I didn’t try to change their answer but instead continued to pray for guidance on what I was supposed to do.
Over the next four months the WR was constantly being brought to mind and I felt God tugging at my heart. I knew this was definitely what He was calling me to do and decided I would talk to my parents one more time about it.
After I shared how God had been working in my heart, they were so supportive and I knew that God had a reason they said no earlier; it just wasn’t my time to go. I would have left on a different route and probably sooner than I was ready for.
So with that, I applied at the end of October, had my interview, got accepted and confirmed my spot on Thanksgiving night.
This is how I was called to the World Race and I am so beyond blessed to have the opportunity to go!
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