When I first heard about The World Race from a stranger at the time, I thought she was crazy. There was NO way I could leave my whole family for 9 months, travel across the country, leave behind everything and go teach people about Jesus. I knew I could do that from here in the United States or even here in Louisiana. I didn’t need to go anywhere else.
A lot had changed since that day I heard about The World Race. That girl who first told me about The World Race is now one of my closest friends and to see how God changed her was something I wanted and something God kept putting on my heart. I heard about The World Race in May 2016 and about a month later I met another person who knew The World Race really well. At this time I did not realize what God was nudging me to do and calling me to do. Nevertheless, I begun praying about was this something God truly wanted me to do. Again, I am a comfort zone person, I stay with those I feel comfortable with and I don’t go away for 9 months.
That’s the crazy and yet exciting thing though, God had such a bigger plan for me than I could ever imagine. God continually (after getting it through my hardheaded, stubborn head) put it on my heart that this was something He was truly calling me to. And this is where all the doubt, anxiety, fears, and stress hit. I mean was I good enough to do this? Did I know enough about God to teach others? Was I even qualified to do this? I had never even been on a mission trip or been gone from my family for that length of time. But the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” This is where I realized and God put it on my heart, that He gave me a desire to go show people the love of God and the love He shows me unconditionally on a daily basis. And I do not need to be afraid. I can cast all that anxiety, fear, doubt, and stress on Him because He can carry it. I don’t need to carry it on my own strength.
After many prayers, I applied to The World Race on the Gap Year Route 1 because God was calling me to do this and I had a joy about this that reassured me this is what God wanted me to do. I knew this is where God wanted me but again all that fear and doubt stirred inside me, it was then I got the phone call a few weeks later that I was accepted onto The World Race and I would be traveling to 3 different countries in 9 months. WOAH! I will be traveling to 3 of these 5 countries, which are Honduras, Thailand, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Guatemala. ALL in NINE MONTHS!
Hearing this news, all of that hope, faith, trust, courage and excitement filled me up. I knew without a doubt this is where God wanted me to be and what he wanted me to do. I am so beyond excited for this journey and to see what God has in store for me in these 9 months to come. God has been working in my life and I cannot wait to share the love and joy I have because Christ lives in me.
God has showed me a couple things and one of the most important of these is why doubt? He has everything planned out for me and His plans are far greater than anything I could ever think of. This is my calling and this is the plan He has for me!
With all my love,
Jordan Rains
