“So do you know what you’re going to next?”
That’s the question I hear most often. As a missionary-in-training, everyone I meet wants to know where God will take me. Right now, I am receiving training with Youth With A Mission in Orlando, Florida, but what comes next is what people are interested in.
“You’re going to how many countries in eleven months?!”
That’s the question that usually comes after the first one.
If you have never heard of The World Race, or if you are confused about what it is, you’re in luck, because I am about to explain what I will be doing next.
The World Race is a mission trip that takes young adults to eleven different nations over the course of eleven months, one month in each nation. My particular route, which is subject to change, will take me to Southern Asia, Central Africa, and Eastern Europe. I will be living out of a backpack for a year, sleeping in a tent at least some of the time, and living in close community with people that I won’t meet until two months before I go. It’s expensive, it’s kind of scary, and it’s going to be amazing!
Why would I do something that will cost over $16,000 when I don’t have a “real” job? Why would I leave the U.S. for almost a whole year when my family, physical and spiritual, are here? Why would I risk my health and safety to go to some of the most dangerous parts of the world? These questions all have the same answer.
Jesus told me to.
I am called to be a missionary. I want to live my life in the service of the One who gave me life. I long to see His beloved children fed, clothed, safe, healthy, and happy. My heart aches to see every child of God in Heaven some day, whether they were at one point an orphan, a Muslim, or a murderer. God loves them all, so I do too.
I don’t yet know the exact work I will be doing in each country on The World Race. That won’t come until much later. But I know that it will be work that will further the Kingdom of God, whether I am feeding orphans with HIV, or mucking out a pig pen. Whatever it takes, I will do it.
But I can’t do it alone.
God is on my side, but world missions isn’t just a job for the ones who go. There have to be people at home that send them. Some will be called to give financially to help meet the cost of the expenses (flights, food, room and board, etc.). Please ask God what He might have you give to help Him send His love to the world through me.
All Christians are also called to have a different hand in missions. Intersession is the act of coming before God to stand in the gap for someone else. Please intercede for me, for my teammates, and for all of the people that we might come in contact with. Ask God to protect us and provide for us, and ask Him to prepare the hearts of the people we will meet, that they will be ready to receive Him when we share the Gospel with them.
Thank you for your interest, and for your help. I will be praying for all of you as I continue my training with YWAM, minister in Africa, and then begin The World Race. God Bless!
