Why 289?
Because that’s how many days until I launch to another country, far away from the solid friends and family unit I have had my whole life. As I launch on The World Race in January 2018, I am extremely excited about the unknowns and adventure aspect of it. But I am most excited about an inevitable deepening in my relationship with Jesus as I embrace this new sense of loneliness when things get rough – and believe me I am expecting a lot of rough during this journey. I haven’t been outside the U.S. except for a day trip to Canada and so I am expecting a whole lot of new “firsts” in my experiences. But I am also expecting a lot of joy and growth. Growth in:
- The relationships I make along the way
- The people who feel unloved, forgotten, or misunderstood when I get to tell them about how much they ARE NOT forgotten and how much they ARE loved and WANTED and PERFECTLY understood by God
- My own reliance and confidence in God first and foremost
Wow, only 289 days until my first mission trip? I am ready for this! I am excited! I am in a season of my life in which I can have undistracted devotion to the Lord that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians.
“…And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 7:34-35Although the world tends to think of singleness as something to overcome, this season of my life is a gift. I could use this time to plan for a future and long for a husband. But, I would be throwing away the gift if I spend my time wishing for what I DO NOT have, just to miss what I DO have. In my present single stage of life I have freedom and time that families and couples don’t readily have. I don’t have anything I am responsible for, no people solely depending on me, no bills or investments tying me down (thanks to my family’s provisions). This time is to form a strong foundation in God that is unshakable and to take action in His name – and there is overwhelming joy and fulfillment in that.
So, until I leave, these blog posts will be about life leading up to the race and resources for my supporters. Well here goes my first attempt at a blog, to God be the glory! I wanted to use my first blog to tell you about The World Race, because well, I had no idea what this was about until October 2016 and if you are coming to this blog it is probably because you are curious about The World Race, or you just ended up clicking a million times and ended up on my blog. Whatever the case: I am SO happy you are reading this and visiting my blog. So here you have it all condensed and in one place.
What is The World Race?
It is an 11-month mission trip that goes to 11 countries. The World Race is just one of the mission trips organized by Adventures in Missions (AIM). Since it was founded, AIM has taken over 107,000 people into the mission field! The organization headquarters are in Georgia and were established in 1989. Currently, AIM sends out over 5,000 missionaries to over 70 locations on 5 continents annually!
The first World Race launched in 2006 from Mexico with a group of 22! The World Race has now sent more than 1,000 racers into the field. On The World Race we will spend one month in each country partnering with local ministries/churches to help meet the needs of the people in that area and strengthen what God is already doing. The ministry opportunities are very diverse and could be any of the following, depending on the needs for locals in the countries we go to:
- Visiting kids in orphanages
- Preaching
- Door to door ministry
- Construction work
- Showing hope/love to people in modern day slavery
This is an opportunity to serve God and impact the countries we go to through tangible expressions of God’s love. We form relationships with the people we meet, spread kindness, hope, and the reason for our kindness and our hope: Jesus. We go in what are called squads of about 60 people to a country. Once there, we break up into our smaller teams to minister to different places within that country. And then repeat 10 times for a total of 11! Our group comes ready to love like Jesus loves, to acknowledge there is a whole world out there besides our homes, and with a thirst to reach people. The church is the body of Christ, it is not just a building (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), it is us. The World Race brings in this concept by bringing the church to the poor, oppressed, and the hopeless. AIM stresses leaving comfort and following Jesus just like the disciples, a desire to grow, and discipleship – spreading the Kingdom of God to the nations. Before beginning the Race, I will go to Georgia on October 18, 2017 for an intense 10-day training experience. During the 10 days, we learn how to spread God’s Kingdom, are pushed out of our comfort zones, and undergo simulated situations similar to what we may encounter overseas.
Please subscribe to my blog so you can get notified with new posts and follow me along this amazing journey that God has been and will be preparing me for. I appreciate any prayers for myself and my squad as we get ready for The World Race. And I would love to hear from y’all in the comments!
TTFN,
Jenny
