It seems so unreal that I am able to talk definitively about this trip now! God is so good, and He has wrought in me a heart that is beyond hungry for something more than what I could ever plan. The reality of leaving and going to Thailand, South Africa, and Nicaragua has not quite hit me yet. However, I know that my God will raise the funds and that I will be standing halfway across the world in less than five months! God has blessed me with the opportunity to serve in this ministry, and I’m very enthused and excited about the things God has in store for this next year!
For the past couple of years, I have been praying and seeking the Lord on what He would have me do after high school. There were several open doors in front of me…college, majoring in either Music Composition/Education or English…I was being considered for a paid position as the worship leader at a church and on top of that, my boss at Starbucks had told me she wanted to promote me to a managerial position.
However, I felt inside my soul that God had a different plan for my life right now.
I learned about Adventures in Missions (AIM) through a dear friend and co-worship leader of mine. She had recently returned from this very same trip, and when she came back, I heard of all the amazing things that God had done on that voyage. I was so intrigued. Seeing the growth in her already flourishing relationship with God made the other things I had felt like I wanted to do grow strangely dim.
However, as I began to think in that direction, much of what I saw, were obstacles.
One Sunday morning, my pastor preached out of Acts chapter 8:
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went.”
Philip’s immediate obedience was so convicting to me, and I felt Gods peace so profoundly that I started pursuing The World Race that very day. Here am I. Send me!
The World Race Gap Year is a 9-month Christian mission trip to 3 countries and 3 different continents. My route will be Thailand, South Africa, and Nicaragua. One of the unique things about the World Race is that it is not only a mission trip but also an intensive discipleship program designed to launch my generation into our particular kingdom calling. My team and I will serve in partnership with churches and ministries in local communities to preach the Gospel, plant churches, work in orphanages, minister to women and children trapped in prostitution as a result of human trafficking, build houses, and bring the restorative hope of the Father’s love to many tribes and nations.
As I prepare for my departure, one of my greatest challenges is my financial support. Like most other missions organizations, World Race participants are required to raise their own financial assistance. In order to leave fully funded in September, I need to raise $12,491. The first $6,000 is due by May 22nd.
This sounds incredibly impossible, but I believe God calls us to live lives that can only be blamed on Him! This money will cover all of my field expenses for the 9 months of the trip. As I take this step of faith in trusting the Lord, would you prayerfully consider partnering with me by giving? Perhaps a one-time gift that will help me reach my first goal of $6,000 by May 22nd, or, would you consider
a monthly gift between now and the time of my departure?
By donating, you can be a part of this amazing work that God is doing not only in my life, but in the hundreds of lives we will impact in an eternal way, as we go.
A horizon is a representation of your visual capacity looking forward. Right now, my horizon is Thailand, South Africa, and Nicaragua… but I pray that I will not forget that there is so much between me and my horizon. I am excited about what God is going to do on this trip, but I also want to devote an equal amount of passion and excitement towards what God is doing RIGHT NOW! To only live for God is an awfully big adventure. Let us not miss out.
Yours in Christ,
David Sands
