Ok, here goes nothing. I am doing The World Race. For Real.
The last year has been a long saga of indecision about committing to The World Race – but I am finally deciding to commit, to jump all in with both feet, and to have faith in the calling that I know God has put on my life.
It all started when I went to Nepal in May 2018 on my first missions trip with a group of friends. I had no clue what to expect, and just like The World Race, I was a bit apprehensive about going at first.
But my trip to Nepal changed the trajectory of my life.
While in Nepal, me and 4 friends traveled to Pokhara. One of my friends had been a missionary in Nepal for 2 years, so we visited his friends that were involved in growing the local Christian church. I was exposed to missions and the movement of God in the ’10/40 Zone’ – where only a small percentage of people have ever heard the gospel and the good news of the grace of Jesus.
We were invited to visit a family that lives in the slums. I was shocked and devastated. I had never seen such poverty. Entire families were living in small shacks with tin roofs and simple rugs on the floor to sleep. Flies buzzed everywhere and many did not even have shoes. They had nothing, and yet they offered us chai milk tea.
We gathered and sat crossed legged on the floor in the hot little shanty and shared the story of Jesus. I was amazed that the entire multi-generational family of 10+ people that had crowded into the small space had never heard about Jesus. They only knew of the many Hindu gods and all the sacrificial offerings that made it impossible to appease.
When we shared that all they had to do was accept Jesus as their one Lord and savior, and that HE had already made the sacrifice by his blood as grace, it was hard for them to comprehend. We ended up praying for family members with health issues and pain. And I have never experienced anything like it, but we witnessed miracles of healing that day by praying in the name of Jesus. That family accepted Christ, and their eternity is forever changed.
I walked away changed as well. It broke my heart to see people living in such extreme poverty – but it broke my heart even more to know they did not have the hope of Jesus.
My trip to Nepal changed my life. It opened my eyes to the world – and the lost.
It opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone has heard ‘The Good News.’
And that’s what I want to share.
I am going on The World Race, because I truly feel called to spread the message of hope, to pour into those who need it most (including the long-term missionaries who need rest and refreshment to continue their sustainable work), and to share what I learn and how God is moving in the world with people back home.
I want to include you on my journey.
Will you come with me?
With Love,
-Hannah
