11 countries. 11 months.
What?
If you would’ve told me at this time a year ago that I would be going on an 11 month mission trip around the world come September after graduation, I would’ve probably laughed at you. Like LOLed. I mean, I’ve never even left the country! I’ve always wanted to travel, but raising over $16,000 to literally go all over the globe in mission seems a bit extreme for a first time traveler, right?
I’m doing it! I’m going on the World Race. I’m raising the money, rallying the support, loading up my backpack, serving in 11 countries in 11 months, and relying on God through the whole process. But let me not get too ahead of myself.
How did I even get here?
It all starts over a year ago. Last Fall my roommate mentioned that a friend was talking about the World Race. It sounded pretty cool, so we looked it up. I was immediately obsessed and stalked the website for a few days or so. But I still had a year and a half left of school and didn’t really think I could ever commit to something like that, so I put it in the back of my mind.
Fast-forward a year. Fall semester of senior year was quite a whirlwind. THON was better than ever, classes were going well, and I was having a blast with my friends, but my relationship with God was suffering. I ended the summer so close to God, but I slowly stopped putting Him first. By the beginning of November I was so out of touch with my faith and pretty much burnt out. Hot mess express!
Then a God moment happened.
I had hit my limit, and on the first Tuesday in early November I just didn’t feel like doing anything. I skipped class and just sat in my room all day like a blob. This wasn’t a lazy-Sunday-Netflix-in-bed kind of blob (aka the best kind); I really just felt so out of it. Then, as I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed for the millionth time, I came across a Racer friend’s blog post. It may sound strange, but just like that I knew God was calling me to the World Race.
I read her blog post along with about 20 others that afternoon, finally pulled my Bible back out from my dusty desk drawer, and renewed my relationship with God. After literally months of prayer and soul-searching, deep discussion with my best friends, mentors, and family, and a fair amount of editing, I finally submitted the application after I got back to school in January. A week later I had my phone interview, and a couple weeks later I got the call: I’M GOING ON THE WORLD RACE!
Instead of giving up on me after I basically abandoned Him, God met me at my lowest point and used that to bring me back to Him. Oh how He loves.
“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” – Isaiah 40:4
So there you have it. That’s how I got here! It still seems pretty crazy sometimes, to be honest. I’ve never really felt God call me to something so strongly before, and now here He is calling me to travel the world for 11 months in mission. What a Creator we have.
This has already been quite the journey, and I cannot wait to see what these next 17 months have in store for me, my team, and the people we will be ministering to all over the world! Let’s do this! If you would like to help make this journey a reality, simply click on the “Support Me” tab at the top of this page!
Love in Christ,
Ronny
