When I signed up for my very first mission trip in January of this year, the couple at the table invited me to a small group through the church called Missionary Talk – where missionaries are invited to share with the group their journey, their wins and the stumbling blocks they’ve encountered on the way. I was hesitant to join the group during such a busy season, but the first meeting after that, I found myself driving to the house, and definitely not knowing what I was getting myself into.
Each of the meetings were exceptional. I felt such peace, and excitement, each time. One meeting in particular, while I heard the missionaries telling their story, I heard “This is the plan I have for you. This is what you are made for.” I am pretty sure at this point I was laughing in my head – what kind of crazy thoughts do I come up with in here? Then while we were visiting at the end, the wife came up to me and said she was glad that I was there. She had seen my name on the list and something struck her; she thought maybe she knew me but we hadn’t met. We talked about how I was feeling and assured me that I was not making this up. God had given me a promise.
A few months later, while I was looking up things on the internet for my trip to Ecuador, I came across a blog of a MN girl who had posts on Ecuador. I read on. She was spending a month there, as a part of an 11 month program traveling to 11 different countries. Except she wasn’t just traveling, she was on a missionary program. My head and my heart started going haywire as I frantically searched for what website I was on – The World Race. “Why does this sound familiar?” I realized that a friend had mentioned someone was on the World Race program, and had recommend a book I read (which I had already started reading but still didn’t put the two together).
After wrestling with wanting to know more about the program for a few days, I decided to start the application process (just to see what the steps are, info they request, the usual). It’s not like I had to actually apply, right? The next day I get a phone call and an email – “Just checking on the application; let us know if you have questions!” It threw me off guard realizing that I wasn’t just an unknown person applying to something that I wouldn’t get a response from. A week and another call and email later, I realized 1) they are persistent, and 2) I wasn’t getting off that easy! I had to consult with my support system and get some prayers in the works if this was really going to happen.
The prayers kept going and the peace and excitement kept coming. I told myself, “Apply… They might not even contact you for an interview… And if they do, they might not accept you. There’s no harm in trying!” Another week later I applied, and little did I know that after the application was submitted, I had to schedule my interview. And it had to be within about 5 days from submitting the application, no less! So, Application: Submitted. Interview: Scheduled. A week and a half later, A Phone Call: Accepted.
Really? What just happened?
Is this real?
I had a given myself a week to decide. A week to tell my mom.
Needless-to-say, I waited until the last minute. A very short rehearsal in my head and told her the facts. A wave of surprise and relief came when I saw her smile and glow. All the little details I practiced having answers for, she responded nonchalantly with a “no big deal.”
The next day, I put down my deposit and officially became a World Racer.
