Hello!!
My name is Gabrielle Raatz, but everyone I know calls me Gabby or Gabs.
I am currently 18 years old.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ADVENTURE. I have been on a 4-day backpacking trip with my youth group leadership team which was quite intense. Other than that, I love to travel and especially make my way to the ocean.
I live in a small town in southern Minnesota currently, however, my home is going to be all over the place in a few short months. I grew up in this small town of Albert Lea and have lived here for almost my entire life. I say “almost” because I like to mention that my family moved to and lived in Orlando, Florida for a few months before returning to Albert Lea. My favorite part about my small town is my wonderful church which I have been able to serve at for a big part of my life. My church is my second home and the people who attend my church have become my family pretty much.
I have a large family of 9. My parents hear a lot that they are crazy and I’ve gotten a front row seat to the craziness. I have an older sister who is 19 almost 20. My older sister’s name is Colleen and she is getting married to my almost brother-in-law in May 2018. The coolest part about my almost brother-in-law is that he is from Accompong, Jamaica (the place where my church goes often to do mission trips). Next in line of the children would be me. Then, my younger sister whose name is Lana. Lana has easily become my best friend over the past few years and we pretty much share all the same friends. Then, the younger four are all adopted through foster care. The oldest of the four is named Eli. He is in middle school and he is very athletic and fun! Then comes Michael who is in elementary school. The last two are Jordan and Hannah.
My heart is full of love for people. I love people and just getting to be around them and love on them. I am not a homebody at all! I LOVE to go, go, go. I spend tons of time with friends and I absolutely love it. I think the main reason why I love people so much is because of the rich love that I receive from my entire family and friends. I have received so much love that I just naturally feel the need to give.
I have quite a few hobbies that are very widespread. I love to make videos, take photos, sing, hang out with friends, dance, have fun, be outdoors, and be active. I have felt called to youth ministries, worship ministries, missions, and/or videography/film. I was extremely excited when God opened the door for The World Race because it literally included ALL my interests!
When taking the personality assessments, the Myers/Briggs test gave me the result of XSFX and I couldn’t agree more. Whenever I was asked whether I was introvert or extrovert, I’d say both but people never believed me because I was so shy at times. 
I think some spiritual gifts that I have are nurturing, wisdom, loving, listening, speaking, and being passionate. Whenever someone is sad or in need of advice, I listen very well to them. At times, I haven’t been the one to always give advice because of my shyness, however, more recently, I have grown into someone who can speak the light of Jesus to situations in my friends’ lives.
My spiritual journey has been pretty constant throughout my life. I feel as though God has always been something in my life, He just hasn’t always been number one in my life. The first most significant factor of my faith was moving to our current church when I was younger. I remember a year or two after moving to Crossroads, I was sitting in the church service and the pastor asked if there was anyone who’d like to give their life to Christ. I remember raising my hand and my face turning pale. I felt like I wasn’t even in the room anymore. That was the first time I’ve ever felt that way and I’ve never felt that since. I feel as though I was flushed clean in that moment. Ever since then, Crossroads has been my home. My leaders throughout Elementary and High School showered SO MUCH LOVE into my heart that I longed to return to church weekly. The most significant people have to be two of my pastors: Senior Pastor (former youth pastor) and my Youth Pastor. Additionally, my two best friends, Ana and Grace.
I struggle A LOT with vulnerability. As I mentioned, I was a very shy kid. At school, I would barely say a word unless people talked to me first. I have gotten much better at being outgoing, but I am still struggling with being real with my struggles and letting people in. Too often I like to try and get over something by myself, however, I have been taught by my youth pastor recently that it’s easier to get over something if we have accountability. Otherwise, we just let our struggles wallow inside of us. So, my goal for the next year is for me to become more vulnerable and to be able to share my struggles with others.
I want to go on the World Race because of the deep longing God has put in my heart for people, traveling, and adventure. I was always told that you needed to graduate from High School, go to College, graduate College, get a 9-5 job, and make money to pay bills. However, that was never me. I am someone who longs to have a creative job and a highly interactive job! The World Race pulled me in and give me excitement about my future. Instead of doing the ordinary, I will be able to feel fulfilled because of God’s promise for my life.
During the World Race, I have deep hopes of getting closer to God, making deep relationships with people, and figuring out the path for my life following the World Race. The worries that I have are the length of the trip and uncertainty of what is going to happen. I have a brief overview of what we will be doing, however, I know it will be SO much more. Additionally, going somewhere where I don’t know anyone has always been a fear of mine, however, I feel encouraged by God that this is His plan for my life and that He will provide.
I would love prayer for myself to become more vulnerable, for me to be able to prepare myself before going on the World Race, and for deep relationships built while on this trip.
-Gabs
