We are thrilled that Nicole asked us to be guest writers on her blog. First off, we want to thank you for supporting and encouraging Nicole during this trip. She is half way through the race and it has been quite a journey for her as she has travelled from Atlanta to Guatemala to Thailand to Myanmar and now back to Thailand with many stops along the way. Although we miss her a lot, especially when we walk by her empty room or hear one of her favorite songs at church or on the radio, It has also been a journey for us and we couldn’t be more thankful for it.
One day in the fall of 2017, she finished her college applications and asked if she could apply to the World Race Gap year program. We were so excited for her to have this experience before starting college. In September, we travelled with Nicole to Atlanta for what they called the Parent Launch to send off the 2018 World Race Gap Year participants. After many tears and a prayer of blessing, we said goodbye to Nicole for 9 months. It’s been inspiring to read her blog posts and talk to her on the phone. The Lord has used Nicole and her team of 7 girls called “Boulders” and her squad (of about 45 people including her team) along this route for His glory!
There have been many experiences that we think have been particularly impactful. One that stands out is the opportunity to spend time with the ministry hosts, the people in charge of the ministries that the students serve in. Through casual conversation, Bible Study, prayer and worship times, she has been able to see first hand the sacrifices these people make to serve the Lord and help others, particularly children. She has been able to personally experience the love and bond that is found between brothers and sisters in Christ and that it transcends language and cultural barriers. She has been able to get a small glimpse of what heaven will look like, full of people from every nation.
Each country has had its unique challenges and opportunities to see how Christians around the world are living out the gospel. While she was in Thailand, she told us how her air mattress had deflated and was no longer holding air. After several attempts of our trying to tell her how to find the air leak and fix it, she said “Mom and Dad, stop worrying about the mattress. I’ll be fine. Most people in the world sleep on the floor. I can sleep on the floor.” We knew at that point that she was going to be just fine during the race and that she was able to walk away from the comforts of life to share the gospel.
Again, we are incredibly thankful for your support of Nicole and the World Race. We appreciate your reading this post and any that Nicole has written. We have been challenged to hang onto our material possessions less and to step out of our comfort zones more. Our younger sons, Scott and John, are even considering going on the race themselves at some point. Also, we will be traveling to Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini) for a week at the end of March to meet Nicole and take part in her ministry. We cannot wait to see her and spend this special time with her. Until she returns in June, would you please pray for safety, effective ministry, and continued spiritual growth for Nicole and her team? We would be so grateful.
Much love to you all,
Diana and Paul Riske
