Okay, so for starters I’m 22 years old and about to graduate from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Exercise Science….finally. At WKU, I’ve been involved with College YoungLife for 3 years and FIJI for 4 years. I have one sibling, my sister, who lives in Georgia and parents who live just outside of Washington D.C. I really enjoy being outside and almost every sport except basketball. Not because I’ve got anything against it I’m just 5 foot 6 inches and get swatted every game so soccer is my go to.
So moving on the basic introduction facts, I would have to say that I have been really following Jesus now for 4 years. Don’t get me wrong, I was raised in the Church my whole life and knew who Jesus was but it is totally different to know of Jesus and to follow Jesus. That is why I’m so excited to be doing the WR because I truly feel like I’m following the plans that Jesus has laid out for me. I think that’s what initially turned me on to the Worldrace because before signing up to go I was getting stressed out and trying to figure out life on my own instead of letting God guide me. I finally said “God, what should I do?” It was’t until I read Acts 20:22-24 that I knew what God wanted me to do. Honestly, I felt like I really didn’t have an option. It was one of the verses that after you’re done reading you think “well, that changes everything.” And it did! Here I am! Doing my best to follow God’s calling.
The Wordrace won’t be my first mission trip either. It’s definitely the largest/longest mission trip but not my first. My dad and I went on a men’s mission trip to Granada Nicaragua for a week this past January and it was incredible. We partnered with a mission called REAP Granada to come along side locals to build a much needed community center. Before this trip I didn’t have a good idea of how God worked outside this little box I had put Him in called the United States. To me, God was always some English speaking white guy but I quickly saw how wrong I was. It was amazing to see how He transcended boarders, languages, skin colors, and cultures. He was so much more than I had previously tried to conceive. I still don’t fully understand God (nor will I ever) but that trip helped me get a closer to a God who is much bigger than myself. Moving forward, I can’t wait to see the ways that God reveals Himself to me and others on this upcoming trip. I know it will be amazing and I’m sure that I will continually realize how much greater God is than myself.
