A passion for international missions was sparked in my heart during a trip to Tanzania in June of 2012. God used me in ways that I could have never imagined. I saw first-hand what God is doing outside America. I experienced the importance of a community of believers that treats each other as brothers and sisters. I saw the ways that I grew during that short month.
While in Tanzania, my teammates and other Racers would mention that The World Race would be the perfect opportunity for me. At the time I disagreed. It didn’t make sense in my mind and I had several reservations on my heart.
Here are some examples:
- I looked at the degree I was about to earn and claimed that I was more qualified to enter the business world.
- I looked at my friends and noticed that I would miss them.
- I looked at my family and claimed that they need me here.
- I looked at my dreams for myself and realized that I could never accomplish those as a missionary.
I knew one thing for sure as the wheels went up on the plane leaving Africa – I didn’t want to leave.
I hated leaving. Looking back, this was the passion that God gave me for Africa and international missions showing. I have told a few friends that God changed my heart about the World Race before he changed my mind.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
One lesson that I learned during my time in Tanzania is that change happens in the process. Change doesn’t happen upon arrival at the destination. Rather, it comes in the journey. If what I know and have already experienced holds true, The World Race will be quite the process. I will see extreme poverty. I will see brokenness. I will be in situations where I will be in deep trouble if God doesn’t show up.
I can’t point to an exact moment where I felt “called” to do this. Slowly but surely, I became excited about the opportunity of abandoning my life in America for 11 months to experience Him in a whole new way.
These are a few things that God has been showing me since returning from Tanzania:
- God equips the called and, as long as someone is willing to serve, He will change them and do unthinkable things through them.
- I will miss my friends, but I know that they will be supportive in several ways. I will also be building new relationships with teammates and squad mates.
- My family is strong, and this is one of the many things that will test our relationship that has been built over the years.
- He aligns my dreams and passions with His Will for my life.
All of the above require me to leave my comfort zone. I will not experience how God is going to equip me until I am in a situation where only he can lead me. He can only teach me how to cope without having familiar friends and family nearby if they are not nearby. I can only walk into the things that God has for me if I abandon my idea of what life should look like.
The process has been and will continue to be worth it. It has been worth it so far because I can see the ways my relationship with Christ has grown. As God pursued my heart, I witnessed first-hand how he used me to make a positive impact on those around me. The Race will be worth it because God will not only continue this process in me, but he will also use me to reflect His Glory to people in 11 different countries.
I am amazed that God can use me to share his love around the world while doing such intense work on my heart at the same time. I am excited to see how he will continue to pursue my heart in the processes of life.
