I want to be asked why. Why The World Race? Why route 2? Why me? Why not just a 10 day mission trip? Why not minister in your own country? In your own city? In your own home?
These are the questions I want to be asked.
So, why The World Race?
Well, who wouldn’t want to travel the world for one year???
Do you ever get the feeling like you’re missing something? The feeling of curiosity that there HAS to be more out there for you. The fear of living your entire life only pursuing three things: your dream career, marriage and kids.. Of course, I want all those things. But I also want so much more. I want to get reeeeally uncomfortable because that’s where the growth happens. I want to experience the world. I want to know what it feels like to give up every single one of my desires to serve God and His people. I want to finally let the Lord use me after years of living in fear of what that might be. I will be whatever He needs of me. Whether that’s a preacher. A friend. A listener. A protecter. A teacher. A teammate..
Throughout high-school, I was very spiritually mature. I had solid roots in a local church. I had like-minded friends. Mentors who were much wiser and older than myself. I made reading scripture and my devotional a priority. Prayer wasn’t just a prayer – it was a constant thing, throughout the day. I was becoming the Godly woman I have always dreamed of becoming. But then, college happened and that all stopped. I was no longer attending church or growing in my faith. Instead, I was taking steps backwards. More like miles… After a few years I decided I wanted to get back to where I was but had no clue how. That’s when The World Race happened. I knew listening to sermons and reading my bible was not going to cut it. I needed so much more. I needed to be active in my pursuit of the Lord. I didn’t want to just get back to where I was, I wanted to become so much better. I don’t want lukewarm christianity, I want the real thing. So that’s why I’m dedicating 1 year of my life to be a missionary. One year of humility and sacrifice. One year of giving up my own desires and comforts in pursuit of His Kingdom. And hopefully, when I return, I will continue that pursuit in my hometown and wherever life takes me.
Why not your own country? Why not a 10 day mission trip? The really really cool thing about Adventures In Missions and The World Race is that it’s a year-round thing. Short-term mission trips are very important, and I fully support them. But I’ve never liked the idea of only spending two weeks in one place only to leave and most-likely never return. The World Race is different. Yes, I only spend one month in each country. But when I get there, one team just left. When I leave, another team of racers are on their way. We are ministering to people 365 days a year. Ministry does not end once we are ready to pack up and leave. Like I said before, some of us are called to go to all nations and some of us are called to stay where we are. I feel called to go. I feel called to live in community, to live like other people live (no matter how hard that may be), to share my testimony, to love other people through actions alone, to give up everything that feels comfortable.. Some people might not understand that, which is okay. But what you should understand is the feeling of being called. That deep, burning desire in your heart that is only placed there by God. The feeling you can’t run away from.
Why route 2? Honestly, I didn’t have a hard time choosing routes. There were 3 to choose from. Route 2 stood out to me the second I saw it. I love the diversity of countries. This route is unique because I will be going to 4 different continents while the others only visit 2 or 3.
Why me? Although I grew up in church and had a strong relationship with Christ at an early age, I have never felt called to ministry. Yes, as a follower of Christ, my entire life is supposed to be about Jesus, but I have never felt called to pursue a career path in the church. Instead, I felt called into medicine. After gaining experience scribing, I knew 100% that becoming a physician was my calling, no matter how difficult the road is to get there. My college experience has been filled with classes all day and overnight shifts at the hospital. I almost chose not to pursue the World Race because I didn’t want to give that up. I didn’t want to quit my job and I didn’t want to take 2 semesters off from school because that also means taking a year off from my medical school pursuit. I was so caught up in that dream, I almost said no to something God so obviously placed on my heart. I was making my job, school and my social life my main priority while giving about 5% of myself to God. How sad is that? To call myself a follower of Christ while running completely away from Him at the same time..
It just doesn’t work that way. I couldn’t choose my desires while also picking and choosing when and when not to obey God.
I’ve discovered I don’t need to have perfect and unbreakable faith in order to pursue something as BIG as The World Race. I just need to be willing to go. Willing to say yes. Willing to give up my home. My car. My belongings. My family. My friends.. willing to give up everything, travel the world with only a backpack, to serve Him and only Him. If I were to wait until my faith was “strong enough” to do something like this, I would be waiting forever.
So this August, I will begin this crazy adventure and I couldn’t be more excited/nervous/scared.
I love answering questions, so ask me why!! Let’s text. Call me, email me, comment on my blogs. Let’s get coffee or lunch. I want to share this journey with you!
