We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip. Here is my story…
 
One day at work one of my coworkers walked up to me and asked me if I wanted to go fishing. He said he was leaving at 5am the next day. For some reason I agreed to go. I liked fishing growing up but was never die hard and hadn’t been in years. The next day my coworker picked me up as well as one more coworker and we went fishing. Eight hours later I hadn’t even caught a fish but I loved it. It was so fun to hang out with these coworkers that I see 5 days a week and knew very little about. We talked the whole time. We talked about our pasts, we talked about our likes and dislikes, we talked about our faith and where we were currently in life. I was unaware how God was going to use this until a week later when that same coworker came up to me again.
 
 

He said, “I have something that is perfect for you. I have been following his blog for the last 11 months and always thought it was neat but now I know why, God told me I am supposed to tell you. It is called The World Race… check  it out.”

 
 
When I got home I looked it up and was floored. I felt like it was exactly where I was supposed to be. I felt like it was an answer to a prayer I had been praying for a long time. I dove into the word for answers and He directed me to Luke 9:23-25 

  23
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save  it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self.
 
Any excuse or reason not to go that I thought of after that all I kept hearing in my head as  “deny thyself, take up your cross and follow me.” But what about the money? God answered that with Luke 18:22
 
 22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 

I had a spreadsheet at work that had the value of all my possessions that I could sell. It had my stock, my car, my motorcycle, my flat screen tv, my bed, my furniture, my road bike, and damage deposit from my apartment.  It all added up to just under what I need for the trip (granted I have a good size loan on my car so even selling everything I still have a lot of fundraising to do). I felt led for the first time in my life to live this verse to its literal meaning. I do not have a job or any possessions to come back to after the trip. But for the first time in my life I am relying completely on Him and can’t think of any other way I would want to live.