Katie, 24
I became a Christian on January 19th, 2007. My college roommates, Brandy and Chasi, encouraged e to go to church with them for years before I actually went and then on that day I finally excepted his never ending love. I went on about my life, casually reading the Bible and attending church on Sunday mornings.
After I graduated college in 2008 I was looking into doing some mission work. I couldn’t really find anything that looked really interesting. Then I started looking into the Peace Corp. After applying and interviewing, the district recruiter called me and told me that I did not have the experience that they looked for in Peace Corp applicants but it sounded like I just wanted to be a missionary. He told me that he had a friend that had done this thing called the World Race.
Four months later I flew to Ireland to start the World Race with 41 other people that I barely knew. I have traveled to: Ireland, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Palestine, Kenya, and Uganda. In these countries my team and I have spread love and the Word. We share Gods love with people that have no hope.
Since starting the World Race I have realized that we are the church. We are Jesus’ hands and feet. He has called us out to be bold and crazy and stupid sometimes. We do things that would seem absolutely absurd to my friends and family back home. For instance, we travel for 24 hours on a train to only get on another train for six more hours, and then arrive at our contacts house and are told that we have to a children’s program ready the next day. And we do it with gladness but Jesus has called us out around the world for one year. He has called us to be His disciples and to spread His love.
This month my team is back in Kenya. We spent the month of January here as well. We are getting to experience a World Race first. Usually we only get to spend a month in each country that we go to but because our contact was so amazing we prayed for two months that we could return here. And because God is so good, our prayers were answered.
After this month we head out on the last leg of our trip to Southeast Asia. We will spend three months in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Then the World Race is over for us.
My prayer is that my entire squad continues to live in the moment, and remembering the reason that we are out here in the first place. Continuing to love everyone that they meet with the same love that is constantly poured out on them daily and cherishing every moment we all get to be together.
My faith has been rocked, I have lost my identity, and amazing grace has been poured out on me. God has shown me who I am in Jesus Christ. My identity lies in Him alone. I am forever wrecked.
