I Am Going Around The World … Details HERE!!!

Well, friend. The World Race is an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries. I will be living out of a backpack – roughing it often, living on a limited budget, and going on a crazy amazing adventure with God and about 50 to 60 teammates. I will be placed on a smaller team within that larger squad of about 5 to 8 individuals. These people will be my immediate family for this trip.

So, what will you do on The World Race?

“In partnering with existing missionaries and ministries, World Racers develop relationships with the “least of these”, and through acts of service see communities and nations transformed all over the world.” That’s kind of vague, I know… but this whole trip is about the unexpected, and in most cases we will not know our actual ministry until we arrive in each country.

So, where will you go on The World Race?

The “tentative” route (since everything is subject to change on The World Race) is: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Ukraine, Modova, and Romania!

So, why are you going on The World Race?

This is where there isn’t really a short answer so let me explain to you what led me to apply for this mission trip:

 This all started at the end of July/beginning of August this year while finishing up a ten week summer mission trip in Beaufort, SC. One of our last week’s there we were invited to Port Royal Baptist Church to hear a former World Racer’s story about her experience on The World Race (first definite God incidence … not coincidence…this World Racer was the niece of one of the host mom’s for two of my teammates this past summer). Let me digress for a moment: This was my second summer in Beaufort, SC and I honestly believe that hearing about the World Race is one of the reasons God placed me back in Beaufort this past summer.

Back on track – after hearing about The World Race I was talking to my summer roommate saying that the whole thing was cool and all, but I knew I had only felt drawn to national missions up to that point. I mean I knew people who felt the desire for international missions, but that wasn’t me. I actually remember saying something along the lines of “If God were to call me to an international trip – you know, something short term, I would so definitely go!” Well, I have learned my lesson – don’t limit what God’s calling for you can be. Shortly after that, being the curious individual I am, I decided to Google – “The World Race” and stumbled upon the official website – my interest was immediately piqued. Then I stumbled on the price tag (at LEAST – $14,300) – yikes! Good thing I’m not called to the international mission field, I thought. But for some reason I saw no harm in reading the blogs of others. Then about mid-August, I suppose, I was pretty sure I might be called to The World Race, but there was no way I could afford it. Instead of praying about it, I made myself forget about it, and quit visiting the website. Luckily, I was starting my internship and staying distracted.

Then something happened, October 21st – I was on Facebook and felt this random urge (second God-incidence) to search for my old roommate from my first semester of college at Appalachian State. One problem, I only remembered her first name, well, the first “Kerri” that popped up from App State looked promising so I went to her page – it wasn’t her; however, it was a World Racer. God thing, I believe so! I went back to the website after that – I began reading blogs, looking at pictures, and watching videos. One of the first videos I watched was the near seven minute promo and I felt God speaking to me so clearly, that this was to be something I would pursue. (Oh, flashback to August: I remember telling God that in the future when I had money saved up, my four years of teaching done, my divinity degree … then I would be ready for this trip if He called me to it). Again, the price tag kept discouraging me, but I kept reading blog after blog about God’s provision. Saturday night, October 23rd – I filled out my application. I had been so emotional and crying all the time (not like me) those two days that I knew this had to be more than a whim, but I was scared. I was also very excited. I didn’t want to go ahead with this without prayerful consideration. So for a week, I prayed, and God didn’t take away the desire to go – if anything, it increased. Saturday, October 30th – I submitted my application.

During my week of prayer, I saw a couple more God-incidences. First, I had been reading a book called, If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat by John Ortberg, a book that my supervisor from the summer had referenced often. I had found it a few weeks before at a Used Christian Bookstore that I had recently stumbled upon in Asheville. Before starting this book, I was in the middle of reading like four others at once but felt compelled to focus on reading just this one. I had just finished the chapter on “Fear” and I remember on Thursday of that week (at the end of a fast) feeling like this wasn’t what God wanted, that this was a selfish idea – so I asked God that if this was the trip I was called to then I needed Him to clearly show me that. Within hours, I stumbled upon a blog from an August 2011 World Race participant that had Britt Nicole’s song/video, “What Are You Waiting For?” and it talked about fear. I truly felt that more clearly than God had ever spoken to me – those lyrics were God’s answer to my request. That also confirmed that the August 2011 Trip was where I was being called.

What Are You Waiting For:

You wonder

What if I’m overtaken?

What if I never make it?

What if no one’s there?

Will You hear my prayer?

When you take that first step into the unknown

You know that He won’t let you go

So what are you waiting for?

What do you have to lose?

Your insecurities, they try to hold to you

But you know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water, too

So get out, and let your fear fall to the ground

No time to waste, don’t wait, and don’t you turn around and miss out

Everything you were made for, I know you’re not sure

So you play it safe, you try to run away

If you take that first step into the unknown

He won’t let you go

So what are you waiting for?

What do you have to lose?

Your insecurities, they try to hold to you

But you know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water, too

Step out, even when it’s storming

Step out, even when you’re broken

Step out, even when your heart is telling you

Telling you to give up

Step out, when your hope is stolen

Step out, you can’t see where you’re going

You don’t have to be afraid

So what are you waiting, what are you waiting for?

So what are you waiting for?

 What do you have to lose?

Your insecurities try to hold to you

You know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water

Walk on the water, too

You look around, staring back at you

Another wave of doubt, will it pull you under?

You wonder

What if I’m overtaken?

What if I never make it?

What if no one’s there?

Will You hear my prayer?

When you take that first step into the unknown

You know that He won’t let you go

So what are you waiting for?

What do you have to lose?

Your insecurities, they try to hold to you

But you know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water, too

So get out, and let your fear fall to the ground

No time to waste, don’t wait, and don’t you turn around and miss out

Everything you were made for, I know you’re not sure

So you play it safe, you try to run away

If you take that first step into the unknown

He won’t let you go

So what are you waiting for?

What do you have to lose?

Your insecurities, they try to hold to you

But you know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water, too

Step out, even when it’s storming. Step out, even when you’re broken

Step out, even when your heart is telling you

Telling you to give up

Step out, when your hope is stolen

Step out, you can’t see where you’re going

You don’t have to be afraid

So what are you waiting, what are you waiting for?

So what are you waiting for?

What do you have to lose?

Your insecurities try to hold to you

You know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water

Walk on the water, too

 – Britt Nicole –

There was no route posted for August 2011 at this time. I could apply for July 2011 and then I would know the route. I like to know things (as many of you know), but God gave me a peace about applying for a trip that I knew nothing about, including the route. God was asking me to “trust” Him, and I did. Speaking of “trust” – let me share this e-mail I sent my supervisor from the summer the week before submitting my application:

Let me explain about the rocks from the summer for a moment. As part of LCM we pray over these little rocks with different words (love, trust, faith, joy, and laugh). We pray that God directs us to blindly choose a rock that will have a significant meaning to our life or that we will have the meaning revealed in time. Last summer I had faith, and this summer … Trust. Last summer I knew immediately why I had that rock, but this summer, it happened months after the summer that God finally revealed to me his purpose for that rock. I apologize if some of this is repetitive.

“You know how we got those rocks again this past summer; well, I had trust. I know why. It wasn’t a coincidence that Diamond and Anne lived with Marge this summer. Her niece Jodi went on the World Race and we were able to hear her story because that’s how we knew about it. I have felt God telling me that was what I should do. I wrote it off at first to that initial wave of wanting to do something after you hear about it just because it sounds cool. Then I researched it more but the $15,000 price tag kept discouraging me from getting my hopes too invested. I haven’t thought about it for over a month now, and then last night I was on Facebook looking for my old roommate from Appalachian State. All I remembered was her first name, and when I typed it in there was a girl named Kerri at the very bottom of the list that immediately shows up as you type from App State that I had five mutual friends with, so I went to her profile to see. It wasn’t her, but she’s going on the World Race in January I believe. I don’t know if I am reading too much into this, but I don’t think that God bringing me back to the idea of the World Race is an accident. I spent hours reading blogs last night. I started getting frustrated because I knew I would never be able to raise the funds; then, out of nowhere I just started crying because I knew that I wasn’t trusting God to provide, when I feel beyond a doubt that I am called to the World Race. I had never even felt called to foreign missions before hearing Jodi share. Now I just have to figure out timing, but I know last night that God called me to step out on faith and go, $15,000 or not. I just want to trust that if God has called me, He will provide a way for me. Also, that he will reveal to me when I should go on this trip. I feel like its becoming a pretty urgent calling, but I don’t want to just jump ahead of God, I need to know I am doing this in God’s timing.”

So, what needs to be done between now and launch in August?