When I tell people about the World Race, a common question I receive goes as follows:
“How do your parents feel about this?”
And since so many people want to know their thoughts and feelings on letting their daughter travel around the world, I decided that it would be powerful to give them the space of a blog post to answer this question.
Here are their thoughts:
Dad:
“As a parent I feel very positive and supportive of Jami’s participation in the World Race. I can say this because I believe she is fully within the calling and will of God in what she is doing. She is a person directed by God to do a mission He sent her to do and she has said yes to that mission. Because she is within that calling, I feel at peace with her going. If I did not feel this confidence in her calling, I would not feel this peace.
There are five reasons I have this confidence in her calling.
The first is the Bible. She is sacrificing her own comfort in order to help others encounter Jesus. This is clearly a mandate of the Bible for believers although not all are asked to do what she is doing.
Second is her own personal conviction that this is the Holy Spirit’s direction in her life. The Holy Spirit speaks to everyone who is willing to listen and makes it clear to them what they are supposed to do. The Holy Spirit’s work in her life is very evident through the growing zeal and excitement she has about her faith.
Third is the direct affirmation of others as to going on the World Race. The words of her church and fellow believers support her in what she is doing. They believe this is the right thing to do.
Fourth is God’s financial provision through the commitments of others to support her in this venture.
Fifth is my own conviction from the Holy Spirit that she is doing what she is supposed to do. I love Jami dearly. She is going to difficult places. She is going to places with an element of danger attached. I know Jesus and because of this, I know that she has to do what she He tells her to do. I also know that the Jesus I know has an enormous love for her and that He will protect her.
The bottom line is that I feel good about Jami going on the World Race because I know and trust the Jesus who is sending her.”
Mom:
Jami has been very independent since junior high, and I have watched God go before her every step of the way. Through the years, He has always provided for her. As she follows God this year, He will continue to go before her and provide for her.
When Jami was a preschooler, I decided to involve her in activities with other children several times a week because she was very social. Over the years, it has become evident just how people-oriented and relational Jami is. I am excited for her to form friendships with her teammates and to share Jesus with people around the world.
I am confident that Jami’s experiences on the World Race are going to bring about spiritual growth in her life, as she seeks to know the Lord more deeply and trusts God with her life on a daily basis. Additionally, I believe that the experiences she has during these eleven months are going to open doors for her for the rest of her life.
Before Jami was born, Isaiah 60:22 was prophesied over her life. I believe that she is destined by God to be a leader. I think that the World Race will help develop her ministerial leadership abilities.
I will miss Jami very much, but I am comforted in knowing that 1) I have already had several family members live outside of the States without problems, 2) she is going as a member of an established organization, and 3) technology will help keep us connected while she is away.
I am looking forward to all of the good that is going to come from Jami’s time on the World Race.
And that is how my parents feel about me going on the World Race.
Even as a 26-year-old who has not lived under her parents’ roof for many years, I deeply value the support and blessing of my parents in this journey.
I have only four weeks left in Missouri, and although the thought of leaving my home for eleven months is bittersweet, I have no doubt in my mind that the best is yet to come.
As always, thank you for being a part of this journey.
Xo,
Jami
P.S. I am now 71% funded. Praise Jesus! Thank you so much to those of you who have offered support financially and/or through prayers. I am praying blessings in return for you.
If you feel led to join my support team and help me finish fundraising the last 29% of my support goal, please click the Donate! button at the top of the screen or contact me for more information. Your support means so much to me, but there’s a good chance that it is going to, in turn, mean so much to someone else.
