Family, friends, and strangers! I am officially inviting you to join me on my next crazy journey… the WORLD RACE GAP YEAR!! Next September, I will leave for 9 months to serve the Lord in Guatemala, Thailand, Malaysia, and Swaziland!!
I am so excited about this next step in my life, and while I would love to be able to talk with each and every one of you about it over coffee or Panera, I know it’s impossible to do that with everyone. So right now, I want to share with you why the heck I’m doing this.
I actually learned about the World Race two years ago, and thought it was the coolest thing. Traveling the world for nearly a year with fellow Jesus-loving adventurers? I was all for it, until I went to Guatemala, which was admittedly really hard, even though it was an incredible and eye-opening experience. After that, I was like, “Nah, not my thing”, and forgot about it. Until I signed up to go to Swaziland the next year, and the idea kept creeping back into my mind. So I told myself I would consider it, depending on how my experiences in Swazi went.
Swaziland changed my life. It’s hard to explain how to people back home, but again, I invite you to ask me about it. I love to share!
One night in Swazi, a few of my friends and I were just talking about the future. One girl basically had a panic attack anytime somebody mentioned college, and the World Race somehow came up. It had constantly been on my mind the whole trip, but that night, we stayed up for hours talking about it. The next night we talked with our leader, who had gone on it, for hours as well. By then, I knew I had to do it.
God did so many things in Swaziland. My heart was broken but had finally found what sets it on fire. I began to understand who I am in Him, and who He is. All of the pressure that society puts on me and I put on myself began to fade away, and I was at peace with where I was, and where God was leading me. If He could do all this in just one month, imagine what He could do in nine months fully dedicated to loving and serving Him and his children around the world!
I came home, and my family and friends were fairly shocked that I had made this huge decision. Maybe you’re really surprised by this news as well? And while I would love to say that I’ve never been more confident in my decision, I can’t.
This is scary. Sometimes I get overwhelmed or anxious by this gigantic unknown in front of me. I have $15,800 to raise, and no clue how that is going to happen. I don’t know what kind of ministry we’ll be doing, where we’re staying, or how well my team will bond. HOW am I going to be away from my family, friends, and sweet pets for so long? There are so many things I don’t know.
I’m not very good with not knowing. I’ve always been a planner, and I love it. It’s so nice knowing what the next day, week, year, or life looks like. This time last year, I was pretty certain of where I was going to college and what for. Now, everything is one big question mark, and I’m slowly learning that that’s okay. I have to keep reminding myself to take one day at a time, and to trust God with my future. Gap Year wasn’t in my plan, but as I begin this process, I couldn’t be more thrilled at what God is going to do in this year leading up to the World Race, and of course on the field.
This is only the very beginning of the journey. There’s so much to do, and so much to learn, but for now I’m just celebrating all that the Lord is doing RIGHT NOW. He is so good and faithful, and has surrounded me with a loving community full of people like you. So, I invite you to follow this adventure by subscribing to this blog, looking out for updates on social media, and keeping me and my future teammates in your prayers!
