In these past two weeks, I have had some of the craziest but most amazing experiences of my entire life…
I had the incredible opportunity to go to Passion where over 40,000 college students came together to learn about God and worship Jesus Christ. I have never been to Passion before so when I arrived at the Georgia Dome, I was completely taken away by the sight of over 40,000 college students glorifying the name of Christ. It was an amazing sight to see all these believers from all different walks of life worshipping the same Almighty God. It just goes to show how intricate and great our God is!
Throughout the conference, I became more and more lit on fire for the Lord. I was overwhelmed by how amazing God is and how He has provided me such an amazing opportunity to go on the World Race. The conference really taught me a lot about God and who He is.
The conference centered on raising awareness to help bring an end to human trafficking and global slavery. It is incredibly hard to believe that in the world today, 27 million people are enslaved. That is more than any other time in history. The harsh reality of this hit my heart pretty hard. There are so many people in the world enslaved to sin but praise God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that there is a power greater than slavery and sin.
The motto of the Passion conference was “Do Something Now.” And that is exactly right; we need to do something now! We cannot just sit around and wait but we need to take action and spread the word of Jesus to the world.
When I leave for the World Race in July, I know I will literally be directly in the midst of the darkness of sin. There are so many people who are hurting in the world, and it is my joy and privilege to be able to go on the World Race and shine the light and hope of Jesus Christ. The World Race directly ministers to people who are enslaved in human trafficking and my prayer is that God uses me to minister to these people who are broken and lost.
Passion was truly an experience I will never forget. And the day after Passion ended, I left for Greece! I had the opportunity to go to Greece with my school on a scholarship. It was my first time out of the country so it was very eye opening. The trip was so much fun and it really got me pumped up to go on the World Race.
We were in Greece for 10 days and we traveled to Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Crete, and many other places. On the trip I realized traveling is not exactly a fun thing to do lol… waiting at airports, living out of suitcases, sleeping in random places, eating weird foods, not being able to communicate with people, being away from your family, etc. Yet all of these things are just a little glimpse and taste of what the World Race is going to be like. And I know that it is going to be one the hardest most challenging experiences of my life, but I know the Lord has called me to the mission field and therefore I have no fear.
One of the most impactful moments of the trip was going to Corinth. Before we left Athens to go to Corinth, I began reading the book of Corinthians where Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. Throughout my walk with Christ, I have read and meditated on the many letters Paul wrote to churches in the New Testament and God has used those scriptures to bring healing, comfort, restoration, and hope to my life.
While we were in Corinth, we went to where Paul was baptized and where he preached God’s word. It was such an amazing feeling to be at the exact place where Paul’s ministry was. It was an experience I will never forget. I am so thankful for the way God used Paul and how God has used Paul in my life to strengthen my faith. One of my favorite scriptures in 1 Corinthians is this: “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of god. But by the grace of god I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. And I’m not about to let His grace go to waste.” I can relate to Paul in so many different ways. Before the Lord changed Paul’s heart, Paul hated Christians and persecuted them. Yet despite that, God extended grace and used Paul to impact the world.
And that is exactly how I feel embarking on this journey to go on the World Race. Many times in my life I have chosen sin over God, I have chosen to follow my own flesh and selfish desires than surrender my life and heart to Christ. But I praise God that He is full of grace and love and washes my sins away. Without Christ, I would be nothing and I am so thankful for that.
So as the Lord continuously prepares me for the World Race, I would greatly appreciate your support throughout this journey. I just want to ask if you would keep me in your prayers as God guides me through this. If you feel the Lord is leading you to give a donation, you can do so by clicking the tab on the left hand side of this page titled “Support Me.” The Lord has already raised $1,700 and I have $13,300 to go and I know God will provide! I want to go ahead and say thank you for your prayers and support throughout this process.
