It was 2 years ago that I found the World Race online. I was immediately hooked and I spent hours reading up on blogs and watching videos about racers around the globe. Last year around Christmas time, I started an application, intending to take a year off of school and finish when I came home. Thankfully, I had lots of godly council and my dad's firm decision of "you're going to graduate first!" to help me see that the timing wasn't quite right for my life. Finally, this is my senior year! I'm done in May and I know that my motivations and my heart have changed so much since I first discovered the Race.
You see, I'm beginning to love traveling more and more. And I'm beginning to love the Lord more and more. And the people that He desires to become His children. And his the idea of spreading His glory. So, what began as a desire for adventure and a trip around the world has slowly grown into something more. Yes, I still want the thrill of going to new places and doing things I've never done, but now I realize the passion that God has put in me for the nations. His Nations. God's love is to be shared with ALL people, from every continent!
There is something so amazing about the unity in the Body of Christ. I know that whether I'm in Romania, Uganda, Cambodia or Nepal, the gospel of Christ is Truth for everyone. His LOVE is what connects us all and everyone longs to worship Someone greater than themselves.
I chose the World Race (as opposed to a one or two year opportunity in only one country) because I know it will be tough. I expect to be tired as we travel from one country to the next over 11 months, but I want to see God's sovereignty as He works in each place in a specific way to minister to the people there. I want to see 11 different cultures, languages, religious systems, worship times, and whatever else there is to see! I think the world is a huge and exciting (and sometimes a kind of terrifying place), but I know that there are things which are universal, like the hope of a better life and the desire to be loved and forgiven.
So, this is what I'm doing: hopping from country to country with a 50 lb. pack, a Bible, a few teammates and a computer (so I can update you lovely people about the awesomeness of God). To most people, the World Race sounds insane, challenging and uncomfortable. It feels like that to me too, but there's a desire deep within me to be out of my mind for Christ, to be challenged by tough circumstances in order to grow in Him, and to be uncomfortable in this temporary world as I look to a life of sweet and eternal fellowship with Christ.
Really, if you think about what the disciples did, how they lived and walked and witnessed, the World Race is a pansy trip with too much organization and too many safety precautions. When Jesus called his disciples together, he gave them power and authority for things like driving out demons and curing diseases, then He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Doing so, he gave them these instructions…
"Take nothing for the journey–no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. – Luke 9:3-6
Wow!! They had no pack, no money, no extra underwear or shower shoes, no walking stick! And I'm freaking out even though I'll be able to carry clothes and hygiene items, have a way to communicate with home, make secure plans for a place to live, have the option to take a plane instead of riding a smelly donkey, and I may have to do without a hair straightener….SERIOUSLY???
Oh Lord, would you strengthen my faith and show me that YOU ARE ALL I NEED. Would you teach me that the American Dream and the comforts of this world are so TEMPORARY and that they're not ever satisfying when what my heart want is YOU. I'm giving my life to follow You, take me and use me as You will. Thanks, Jesus, that you choose to work in me and through me; that you care more about growing me and my faith than I do. Take my life and let it be all for You and for Your glory. 🙂
