Hi friends!!!! Wowowow okay, so this is the very first official World Race blog post!! How exciting is that??!?!? Crazy!!!
I honestly don’t think I could even begin to tell you all how incredibly excited I am for this trip. I really don’t think there’s even a word for it.
I first was introduced to the idea of the World Race about a year and a half ago when I found out my cousin was embarking on his own World Race. The thought of leaving home to go serve the Lord internationally was so exciting to me. I think it was then that the Lord presented the idea as a possibility that I could do it. Flash forward to Christmas 2017 where my whole extended family got together and was able to FaceTime my cousin. I remember talking to him through the tiny iPhone screen, the connection cutting in and out and it was so evident how in his element he was. You could tell he was having the time of his life. I distinctly remember the Lord saying to me “You should pursue this.”
Over the next couple of months, I prayed and prayed about it. I definitely felt a calling to go but I didn’t know exactly when. 11 months is a long long time to go and I wasn’t so sure if I’d be able to handle that. I prayed and asked God when the right time to go would be to do it now during school or to wait until after college graduation to go. I ultimately decided the the best plan was to finish my degree, save up enough money on my own and then apply for the World Race.
Then about a month ago the World Race announced a new program, the “Semesters” program. Similar to the World Race except for its 3 months long. I remember reading through the information with happy tears streaming down my face. I heard God telling me “See. Did I not tell you I would provide for you?” God had been with me through my months of prayer and deliberation and I got an answer. I knew the 3-month program was right for me.
My all-time favorite book in the Bible is the book of Esther. (If you’re like me you probably watched the Veggie Tales movie version of it several times over.) If you don’t know the story, here’s a very brief summary: Esther tells the story of orphan Esther who was raised by her cousin Mordecai. When King Ahasuerus needs a new queen, Esther is chosen. Esther is secretly Jewish but she wins favor with the King and ends up saving his life and her people! (Side note- if you haven’t read it, go read it. You won’t regret it!) Esther has doubts about standing up for herself and her people, but in Esther chapter 4, verse 14 her cousin Mordecai says this: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
“For such a time as this.” Y’all that speaks volumes to me. Here I was fretting about the timing of everything, thinking that everything must go according to my plan. I thought that my plan was best and that only I could get all the details in place. God knew my path would lead me to the World Race now. He knew that my plan of waiting 4+ years was going straight out the window.
So now here we are, 5 months away from launch! I’m so incredibly excited to begin this journey. I firmly believe the World Race is going to be such an incredible life-changing experience. This is going to be such an incredible journey to go and preach the gospel to all nations like the Lord commands us to do. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to see where the journey will lead me!
