Well, it’s story time with jolly ole St. Nicholas…
Exactly two months ago (June 10) I accepted the call to go on the World Race, but the story is not as simple as that. And quite frankly, pretty much everyone on the World Race has a cool story of how God called them. Here’s mine…
Lets go back a little over 3 years ago. It’s my sophomore year of college. I’m sitting in a youth ministry class and the professor asks the seniors in the class what their plans are post-graduation. One of the girls in the class said she was going on the World Race. This was my first encounter with the WR and I was hooked. I looked it up online and started mulling the possibility of going on the Race after I graduated.
Fast-forward a year and I am going on a mission trip to Australia to ONU and wouldn’t you know it, my mission trip leader… wait for it… had just gotten back from the World Race a year before we left for Australia. Coincidence, I think not. Once again, it got me thinking about my post-grad plans and the possibility of doing the WR someday.
Fast-forward to the Fall of my Senior year. I was starting to look into post-grad plans. I was informed I could be an RA as a grad student, I could get 50% tuition if I stuck around for graduate work at ONU, and I still had a year of running eligibility that I could use as a grad student. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, particularly being able to be an RA for a 2nd year. I loved that ministry and was so stoked to have the opportunity to minister to the freshmen of Nesbitt Hall for another year (plus running and cheap classes… great stuff). So now I had my post-grad plans and for the most part forgot about the WR.
However, God never let my heart for the WR die… and I think He set up some failures to guide me to the WR. Yes, God allowed me to “fail” (at least in my eyes) so that I might have the biggest success and be fully sold out to Him and His call on my life, the WR. I am supremely confident in this. Let me tell you why…
The 2nd year of my graduate program in youth ministry is a full-time position, like long-term, full-time, ministry position, there’s a ton of flexibility in the position, but it has to be youth ministry related. Early on in my first year of grad school (Fall 2013) I found two great opportunities for the 2nd year of grad school. The first opportunity was as a Freshman RD (he overseas the RAs in a whole building), the second opportunity was as the youth pastor at my home church. I was hesitant about the 2nd option, but thought maybe if my home church needed a fill-in or interim I could fill the position for a couple years and either dive into youth ministry after that or go on the World Race; it would provide me with flexibility and ministry experience.
So… FAILURE… I don’t do failure. I don’t fail. If I fail, if I fall, I pick myself back up… but I don’t fall. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve failed more times than I can count, but I mask my fear of failure and the pain it brings with supreme confidence and a maybe a hint of arrogance. So, the first failure for me was in applying for a 3-week mission trip through ONU (my school) to Tanzania in the Fall of 2013 for a trip in June 2014. Now, if you know me, you know I love missions and I love Africa. 3 weeks is a bit short, but hey, I could do 3 weeks in Africa… I LOVE AFRICA!!! And wouldn’t you know it, I was denied for the trip because I had gone on trips through ONU before AND I didn’t seem very passionate about the trip in my interview. Didn’t seem passionate enough? I scoffed at the notion. I understood; I am a pretty stoic fella; I don’t show much emotion; even a mission trip to Africa isn’t going to get me visibly excited, esp in an interview. I get excited on the inside and I don’t usually get excited about things until they are a reality. Regardless, I thought it a bit preposterous… in hindsight, it was another door towards the WR, cause if I go to Tanzania in June, maybe I try to go on the WR, but likely not for awhile, and almost certainly not in September, fundraising on top of fundraising, preparing for the WR right after getting back. There is a slight possibility, but highly unlikely…
Spring of 2014 was big for me. I had forgotten about the WR and was focused on finishing grad school. I applied in February for the RD position… AND didn’t even get an interview… NO interview! I was devastated… devastated! This was a ministry I loved, a university I loved, people I loved, and I didn’t even get an interview. I knew the position was going to be a “battle”. There were plenty of good candidates, but to not get an interview just flabbergasted me. I didn’t understand why, I felt qualified and I was extremely passionate for the position. It blew me away. But two things popped into my head within an hour after getting the devastating news: 1. God has something bigger planned for my life (it might not seem bigger at the time or even in a worldly sense, but God wants to use me. I just have to trust and obey) AND 2. The World Race……
Story to continue tomorrow…
