Many people have asked me, “Why? Why the World Race?” Don’t worry; I’m here to enlighten you on why I made the choice to embark on this amazing journey.
Ever since my senior year in high school, I felt God calling me to be sent. He put two countries on my heart, the first one being Spain, and the second one being Africa. I had no idea why but I knew I was meant to end up in these two places at some point in my life. This was a huge revelation considering my life growing up.
Let’s backtrack a bit for a second. Up until my senior year in high school, I lived in a bubble—wonderful bubble at that. Everything I ever needed was within 15 minutes of my home. I had my school, beaches, parks, malls, you name it. Now considering where I grew up, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an island, you could say I was pretty small-minded. Don’t get me wrong, Hawaii is paradise, but it was time for me to get off the rock and explore the world.
The summer I graduated from high school I went on a road trip across the U.S. and my mind was completely blown. I was still in the states, but that trip forever changed my perspective on life. When I arrived back home, I went straight to my advisor to figure out a way for me to study abroad.
Patience is definitely something that I’ve always had to work on and still need to work on. I’m not a patient person. But God has taught me patience over the years. It wasn’t until the spring semester of my sophomore year in college, that I had the opportunity to study abroad in Seville, Spain. Looking back, it was my first taste of a different country, language, culture, and way of life.
I’ve never officially gone on a mission trip, but I knew I was called to Spain for a reason. I was on a mission from God. He provided me with the strength and the tools to be that light to others. Of course I’m not perfect, that’s the reasons why I need God, but I had the chance to minister to others. Like they say, sometimes you’re the only Bible someone will ever read, so I always asked God to help me be His instrument.
A year later I had the chance to visit the school I volunteered at in Sevilla, and we picked up right where we left off!
Once I had the chance to go to Spain and travel to other countries as well, I knew why He put it on my heart to go to Spain in the first place. Once I got back to the states, all I could think about was going back to Europe. Half a year later, I ended up back in Europe, this time in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Denmark was a different experience. I had a hanai Danish family who took me in and treated me like on of their own. I also had the chance to become part of a Christian gospel choir and I had a church home. The members of the choir and my church became family to me. It was incredible praising and worshiping God in a new and different way.
Meet my incredible and talented choir director, Nina!
It’s been almost four years since God has called me to Africa. I thought it would be years from now that I would have the opportunity to live in Africa. You see, I actually got engaged this past summer. My fiancée at the time was a wonderful man, but I kept wrestling with God about my call as a missionary. I initially thought I would live on the mainland for a few years before moving to Africa, but God had other plans. It would have been so much easier to settle down, but God had different plans for the both of us.
I ended up breaking off my engagement, which was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to face. Yet I trust in God that he has both of our best interests at heart, and is leading us down our perfect and pleasing paths. A few days after I broke off our engagement, I was looking up potential possibilities for the future. I now had the opportunity to figure out what I wanted to do when I graduated from college!
I was researching different opportunities when I stumbled upon the World Race. As I started reading more about what it offered, I knew this is what God was calling me to do. I started looking up the different routes available during September, and Route 3 called to me. It was like someone created that route specifically with me in mind.
I thought that God had planned for me to go to Africa years from now, but I will now have the chance to live in three different countries in Africa during 2015!
Pretty much God has turned my life upside down and backwards, but I’m excited and honored to be a missionary and have the chance to travel to these 11 incredible countries!
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I will be raising $16,264 to cover the cost of this incredible adventure. If God lays it on your heart to help support me financially, please click “Support Me!” on the left hand side to make a tax-deductible donation. Or, you can cut out the small online processing fee by mailing a check to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Checks should be made out to “Adventures in Missions”.
***Make sure to put “Kai Taniguchi” in the memo line of the check!***
