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So after traveling to 11 countries in 11 months, what do I do with my life?
This is the totally valid question everyone asks.
It’s the question I asked myself before I left the country last September.
It’s complicated. God completely wrecked my heart for people. Especially the people no one sees. I want to see them. Because Jesus said what we do for the least of these, we do for Him. And now that I’ve seen, I can’t un-see.
English class in a small, remote Cambodia village
These days, my life is a lot less about what I’m doing and more about WHY and HOW I’m doing it.
Because I know who I am and why God has made me.
I have so many stories. From trash heaps in Honduras, to the barefoot young girls pimped out in Cambodia; from the dirty smiling faces in Uganda eager to learn English, to the dark streets of Chiang Mai where women are treated like property. Even back in the USA people can still be without hope, connection, or joy. My heart has been broken so many times.
It is a privilege to get to experience a tiny part of what pains God’s heart, and to have that heart in me. And as Jesus famously said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” (OK, it was Dr. Seuss.)
And that’s why I’ve decided to go to G42 Leadership Academy in Mijas, Spain.
When I got home, God said: It’s overwhelming to “change the world.”
It’s also not my job.
So God gave me a picture:
I was standing in a greenhouse full of beautiful flowers and plants. There was one tiny brown flower that was slowly dying, hidden by the nice colourful ones.
But I saw the small, sick one and cleared away the others to care for it. To water it and bring it back to the life that was always possible for it.
And after that little flower was healthy again, it could be planted out in the world to grow more little purposeful flowers.
This is why I’m going to G42 in a few weeks.
God confirmed these specific passions on the World Race😕
- quality education for poor and at-risk youth (especially English education)
- bringing life and truth into the identity of undervalued women (mentorship, job training, inner healing, empowerment)
- spreading joy, freedom, and physical wellness through Zumba* and ZumbaKids*
- using these mediums to bring hope for an as-yet-undetermined community in Latin America (possibly the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, or Costa Rica)
Zumba and English class in Ethiopia
So I want to learn how to put those passions together. I don’t know the specifics yet. And I don’t know anything about business, self-sustaining non-profits, or how to live abroad long term. I do know I’m still a missionary— always on the mission of bringing God’s love to His sons and daughters.
That’s where G42 comes in! To bridge the gap between the known and unknown for me.
Now for some specific questions you may be wondering…
WHAT THE HECK IS IT:
G42 is a six month program created for discipling, inspiring, and equipping young men and women to locate their passion (in business, the non-profit realm, church planting or the arts) and to develop a strategy to use that passion to bring Kingdom to the earth.
The 42nd generation is a network of Christ-followers with the mission to plant or lead churches, business, and ministries to spread the Kingdom of God around the world— to inspire and develop leaders who are passionate about giving their lives to the message of Christ. See more HERE.
WHEN WILL YOU BE THERE:
I leave for Spain on October 1, 2015!! (I’ll get back in April of 2016).
Why so soon??
I don’t want to lose this momentum, but I don’t have the skills yet.
God made it clear back in Month 8 in Albania that G42 is the place for me. Our squad mentor challenged us to be specific in what we desired in our year after the World Race. I wrote down things like:
- Equipping for ministry, practical skills training
- Healthy Christian community with my peers
- Mentorship by people older than me who are already working in their own
- business or non-profit
- A lot of the Holy Spirit
- Teaching English to children
- Dancing and using Zumba as ministry
- Spanish language and Latino culture
- Physical health and wellness
- Discipling women
Then staff member Daniel Thornhill from G42 came to Albania to tell us about the program and I literally checked off every single thing on my list.
Dance has no language barrier! Learning traditional dance in Thailand
WHERE IS IT:
The white-washed village of Mijas, Spain, 20 minutes outside of Malaga, a ferry ride away from Morocco and very close to the beach. An added bonus 🙂
Mijas, Spain
WHO:
I’ll be living with other interns who are 20-somethings in tight-knit biblical community similar to the World Race.?
Also: Andrew Shearman. This guy…founder of G42. See more here. (He also mentored Seth Barnes, founder of the World Race.)
Additionally, we have teaching from world-class leaders from all over the globeand from many walks of life, all Kingdom focused.
HOW:
My full costs (including housing, food, books and school supplies, and class cost) are $6,300 for 6 months, not including airfare.
To partner with me or to continue partnering with me in ministry (shout-out to my awesome WR team!), you can:
a) continue to be a part of my prayer team. (Updates via Facebook, Instagram, and e-mail.) I cannot tell you the difference it makes having the covering and prayers of others. Ministry truly does not happen without prayer.
b) help me with the cost of tuition via:
i) The Internet:
http://www.g42leadershipacademy.org/donate
Choose “One time” or “Recurring Donation.”
Under “Leadership Academy Intern, Appealed By:” type “Kathy Woods.”
ii) Check. Make Checks out to “G42” and send to:
G42
P.O. Box 17
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(Do not put my name in the memo line. Instead, download and send in this form with any checks: …)
Kindergarten English class in Africa
I’m excited to take this next step on my journey, and I’m looking forward to connecting with you personally in this next month before I leave!
(To set up a personal meeting soon, shoot me an e-mail here: [email protected])
Thanks, team! I love you! 
