Why am I going on the race? That is a great question. One that I am still not 100% sure on if I am being completely honest. Why am I going on the race? What I have learned a lot over the past 6 months is that God knows better than I do (What? I know, crazy right?) I’d like to think that I have it all together most of the time and before I applied for this program I thought I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life. God is pretty good at showing us that we aren’t supposed to have it all figured out and that, that is okay. I mean I’m 18 for crying out loud. How am I supposed to know what my whole life looks like when I’m not entirely sure what “life” really is yet. I know that we as believers are called to go out unto the ends for the earth (Acts 1:8) so that is what I want to do. Am I scared? Absolutely. But do I know that God is ultimately in control? Yes, and I am learning to find peace in that. It has been made so clear the path God is laying out for this next year of my life and I am finding so much encouragement in that. So as I sit here at the bottom of a $17,000 mountain, I am reminded that the money is His anyway. I am so excited to see God move the big mountains and the little ones. I know that going on this trip I’m not going to save anyone. God will save them and I will get a front row seat. But I’m praying for some of these experiences to save me. As western Christians, we tend to get this complex of going out and helping all these people, and while that’s great I don’t want that to be my story. My pastor put it beautifully once the first time I went to Guatemala, he said, “God doesn’t love Guatemala so much that He sent you there, He loves YOU so much that He sent you to Guatemala.” and that keeps playing over and over in my head. I’m not here to save Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Thailand. They will save me. Why am I going on the race? I am going on the race to seek God and His plan for my life. I have spent so much of my senior year mapping out the rest of my life and I tried so hard to take the steering wheel until God had to make it physically impossible for me to have my way. It makes me angry sometimes but I have to trust that He knows more than I do. When life gets tough my dad always says “If we knew what God knew, we’d want the same thing.” I find a lot of peace in that, and I’m pretty sure the creator of the Universe has a better plan than my 18-year-old self.
Dear World Race Makayla,
I’m including this part to remind you why you’re where you are. I know you miss home, I know you miss mom and dad, the 4 little monsters we call siblings and Piper. I know it’s hard but just remember what God has done for us so far. Right now I am Williamson County Makayla stressed about fundraising, and God already did that for you. Remember how much He loves you. Remember how strong you aren’t, but how much stronger he has made you to be. Stop crying, because we both know you’re crying, and choose joy because of how much you have learned, and how much more you’re going to learn. God is so good and He has never failed us yet. Keep kicking butt girl, we got this. You’re there for a reason and I pray that God will reveal it in a way that makes it so clear. Trust Him. He knows so much better. Hug the new friends you’ve made, and I’ll hug the old ones. There are so many people who love and support us. They are there for you and don’t ever forget it. You’ve come so far, and have so much further to go. Fight harder and don’t you dare let the enemy get you down when God has done so much. We got this.
Sincerely,
Williamson County Makayla
“If the wind goes where you send it, so will I…”
