The most popular questions I was asked this past year and even the year before were: “Where are you going to school next year?” & “What are you planning on studying?” It’s strange that these are always the questions most high school students are asked. Not: “What are you planning to do next year?” or “What are your passions and interests?” It’s assumed in our culture now that once you graduate high school you go to college for 4-5 years, get a great education, get a good job, and make the most money you can. High school is no longer about going and learning basic skills in multiple subjects and figuring out what our passions and interests are. It’s about preparing ourselves for college and getting the most money in scholarships by getting the best grades in high school. Even at a Christian school, the goal is to prepare the students to get into college and to help them achieve the best scholarships they can.
However I don’t think I’m called to follow the typical path: graduating high school, going right into college to get an education, to then make the most money I can. This isn’t to say that college is bad or that money is bad either, because everyone has their own role in the kingdom and making money and funding mission work or the church is a big role that the kingdom needs. However there are those who are called to go out and do that mission work. We aren’t meant to do what everyone else in the world is doing, which is why I chose to obey this call and go on the adventure of the World Race Gap Year mission trip! I feel I have been called to be one of those different from those of the world in this way of leaving the country for nine months instead of going to school right away.
I never thought, going into my senior year, that I would have made this decision to go on the race. After my senior year I thought I was going to go to a small school and play basketball. However this idea of going on the race was put into my mind through a few sources. These being the three girls who graduated from my high school and went on the race; also my girlfriend who is going on gap route 2 this next year. All these influences in this area kept the idea of the race in my mind. As time went by I prayed, and other people prayed for and about this idea for me, I kept feeling like I was meant to take this step out of my comfort zone and out of the norm and go on the adventure! It’s crazy to think that a year ago I thought I’d be going on to play basketball at some small school and now I’m leaving the country for nine months and then coming back and going to a big school for college.
Now going back to those popular questions I was asked; it’s interesting seeing and hearing people’s reactions when I answer their question by telling them I’m not going to college next year but actually pursuing this mission trip. I was shocked at how encouraging and supportive people were of this idea and some even saying they wished they had done something similar.
Anyway, if you made it this far in this post, thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope that you liked what you read. If you want to follow along on this journey with me, watch for new blog posts here. I would also love support through prayer, and financially if you please. I really hope to learn a lot on this trip and leave an impact greater than I could ever imagine through the great power of God!
