So, I have been asked quite frequently why I feel led to go on a trip like this, so here is a tiny tale about how I got here.
I first learned about the World Race during the summer of 2014. When I heard about it, my interest was spiked! The thought of being able to travel from continent to continent while doing ministry and working with people sounded like a dream to me. I started to dig deep into Adventures in Missions and began learning about what the World Race was and how I could become a part of something so amazing. At the time, I was 18 years old, struggling to figure out what the next steps to take in my life were. As I continued to learn more and more about missions, I couldn’t get it off my mind; so, I prayed about it and applied for a mission trip to Peru for the Spring of 2015. A couple of weeks after applying, I was accepted and quickly knew that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
After my trip to Peru, I came home and started college, studying computer science. Fast-forward to now, I have been doing this for three years and have realized that I have a deep love for coding, but during these last couple of semesters, I knew God had something else planned for the next season of my life; I had no idea what direction I would be pulled in. As I continued to pursue and pray about the next steps I needed to take, I kept on hearing the little voice inside reminding me about the World Race. The timing seemed terrible, but it was without a doubt something I knew I needed to at least humor, so I applied. I felt a huge weight come off my shoulders right after I submitted my application. I continued praying over this season and that God’s will for my future would be done during this period of confusion. After about two weeks and couple of interviews, I got the phone call and was officially accepted!
So, some of you may be wondering, what exactly is the World Race? The World Race is a mission trip that spans the globe over the course of 11 months, during the 11 months, you visit and serve in 11 different countries. The route that I am signed up for is as follows: the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. We will spend an entire month in each country, living in community and catering to the needs of local ministries. We will be serving in a multitude of platforms from evangelism, English lessons, helping in orphanages, and serving in HIV clinics, just to name a few. The launch date for my team and I is October 5, 2018, which seems kind of far away, but I know that the time from now ‘til then will move wayyyyyy quicker than expected.
This trip is something that I am totally confident in doing. I am passionate about ministry, service, and people, which makes this trip the perfect thing for the type of person that I was designed to be. I have plenty of fears related to this, but I know this is exactly what I need to do during this season of my life, God has made that incredibly obvious to me. I am still working hard to finish this semester out strong before the beginning of the summer, but once that metaphorical bell rings, I will be in full work mode towards getting everything prepared for this trip. There is a lot of work still needed to be done, but in the end, all the work will pay itself off and I cannot wait to see how I am used!
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Thank you for taking time to read more about what will be occurring i my life during the next year. If you have further questions or concerns, feel free to email me: [email protected] or send me a text at 414-416-5659.
Much love,
Miguel
