At the end of my second year at Ferris State University, I had decided to push myself to graduate in three years instead of four. As I started my third year this fall, I was entirely ready to graduate, to be out of the college scene, but I was feeling lost about what I was going to do when I actually graduated. I always thought that I would just go right into grad school when I received my bachelors, or work for a year and then get my masters.
People always asked me, “what’s your major?” “Public Health.” Blank stares followed by – “what do you want to do with that?” And usually, I didn’t have an answer for them. I knew that I had a general interest in health promotion and global health but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with that. I honestly could not see myself finding my career aspiration at a 9-5 desk job, and I didn’t want to get my masters until I felt more confident about the field I wanted to pursue. At 20, I felt like there was so much more I could do than just settle for either of those two options.
Last spring, my sister Cassie told me that one of her colleagues had a daughter who was going on the World Race. She told me that when she heard about it, that she immediately thought of me, and that I should look it up. I went to the website and read all about it, and even took the quiz “Do you have what it takes to be a racer?” The idea of serving the Lord and traveling to so many different parts of the world was something I loved. But, I shrugged it off with the thought that, “this is really cool, but me? I don’t have 11 months to leave everything I know in Michigan.” I didn’t give it much thought for the next several months.
But, I kept coming back to the website. After all, this was everything that I have ever loved; travel, philanthropy, building a better relationship with God – it was enticing to say the least. One day, I was reading one of many blog posts from other Racers and I stumbled upon a quote that has stuck with me ever since. “A good kingdom journey takes you to places where you are not in control.” It was very clear to me that, whatever plans I was going to make after graduation, I was not able to make them on my own. I realized that I was feeling so stuck because I tried to keep God out of my planning. So finally, I prayed. I prayed about what I should do next, should I hope to find a job right from my internship? Should I go back to school?
In that same week, a family friend of ours that I had not seen in several years stopped by my parents house on their way to the airport. I told him that I had heard about the World Race and he said “do it!” He said, if not now, then when? You are young, and have the opportunity to do something amazing, so why wouldn’t you?
I finished my application that same day. And in the weeks leading up to my phone interview, my life changed, not drastically, but noticeably. Though I was nervous about not getting accepted, I felt more at peace with my future. I learned what it felt like to trust God, and that you don’t have to make decisions on your own, in fact that you shouldn’t try to make them on your own. Regardless of the decision Adventures in Missions made about my application, I knew that I would find my way in the next part of my life.
Despite my confidence that everything would be okay; no matter the outcome, my excitement when I had been accepted as a World Racer, was something that I had never felt before. And the best feeling, was when I began to tell my friends and family what I would be doing August 2017, and they all seemed to say, yeah, thats totally you.
The World Race became my reality and I am overcome with graciousness.
