SO, I’m excited to finally announce that I will be taking a gap year with World Race after I graduate from high school. I have followed several world racers through social media in past years and I have always been intrigued by their missions. I was inspired and have had an interest in the race ever since. Now, I have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, South Africa, Thailand, and Myanmar (WOOHOO). I’m going to step out of the comfort of my small-ish Iowan hometown for the first REAL time in my life. I’m going to walk alongside 55 other teenagers and see first hand how Jesus is working and changing the hearts of people all around the globe. Exciting? Of course. Slightly terrifying? Absolutely. Crazy? No doubt.
Many people have been asking me why I’m choosing to take a gap year Why not just go to college right away? Aren’t you afraid you won’t ever go back to college? I say, why not? I’m 17, almost 18 years old, and I don’t really know what I want to do with my life, so I feel like now is as good a time as any to pursue opportunities such as serving the Lord around the globe. When I was freshman in highschool, I went on a mission trip to Haiti and I learned I have a heart for missions. The people of Haiti are amazing. While they are poor in material things, they are rich in love. They taught me that true joy is found in the Lord; not in money or popularity. I have rarely seen so many children giggle out of real, pure joy. I hope that I can experience this same childlike joy while on the field in addition to hoping that the people I minister to will teach me to love better.
I am also choosing to take a gap year because of a trip I went on to Estes Park, Colorado with my local youth group this summer. I have felt a tug ever since this trip to experience something bigger, like taking a gap year. It was here that I was rudely awakened by the fact that I have to do absolutely nothing to earn God’s love, and that no matter how many times a minute I screw up, He is still there. And He will never love me any more or less. I want other people to know this. Just to know that you are loved in itself is a beautiful thing and it changes the way people think. During this trip, the idea of World Race hung around in the back of my head. The band Urban Rescue was at the conference and they played their song Open Hands nearly every time we worshipped . My favorite part of the song is where it says:
Here I am with open hands,
I have nothing left to prove,
God I give it all to you.
Empty me of everything till
there’s nothing left but you,
I just want to live for you
with open hands
This song is a constant reminder to me that I can live my best life simply by being willing to take on whatever He has planned for me (also shout out to Jasmine Pham, I think of Caravan and all the good jams we encountered everytime I hear this song). This song goes hand in hand with taking this gap year, and while I listen to it, it just seems right that I should let go of everything that does not matter and go where He takes me, with open hands.
Lastly, I am choosing to take a gap year because I have realized that in America, we take A LOT of things for granted. Sometimes I complain about having to walk two blocks into school every morning and then I go on complaining about school in general. Then I think about how in a lot of places around the world kids are extremely thankful they get the chance to go to school at all. I am reminded that I need my eyes to be open to the world around me and that I can’t keep myself in this small, confined space where I don’t seem to realize how blessed I am to live the life I do.
I think that we are so consumed by things that don’t really matter in the long run, money, social media, and grades in school just to name a few. We are often blind sighted to the things that do matter: faith, love, family, and friends. I think we need to take a step back and be thankful. We live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world and to be honest, we often have little clue as to what is going on in the world around us. We are unaware of the everyday hunger, heartbreak, and pain that goes on. On the flip side, we are unaware of the endless joy and seemingly unwavering faith that happens all across the globe. I think what I am really trying to get at here is that I am hoping my time on the race will help me to change how I view the world and my home. We go through our everyday routines and nothing really seems to be all THAT amazing and we find ourselves wondering “what’s the point?????”. We all yearn for purpose. We have to find ways in which we can surrender things to the Lord to find our purpose, and it looks a little bit different for everyone. I am redefining the purpose in my life by choosing to go on the race. I want have a little change in scenery to help me get down to what really matters. I’m sure that this trip will be challenging but extremely humbling for me and my squad mates.
So, this is where my heart is. This is why I am choosing to set aside college for an additional year. This is why I am choosing to leave behind the comforts of home and experience new and uncertain things in other countries.
As I prepare for my departure in September of 2018, I will be raising both financial and spiritual support. I would love any and all form of donations, so if God places a certain amount on your heart, please do not hesitate to give. I will also be selling T-shirts as another way to raise money, so just let me know if you are interested in purchasing one. I am also simply asking for prayers, this whole thing is a journey and I am going to need lots of guidance throughout the next year.
I am so pumped about this whole thing and I am so excited to see where God takes me and my team. Thank you so so SO much for reading this little ramble of mine.
Here I am. Send me. Isaiah 6:8
