I've been putting off the "About Me" section for a month now, but today's snow "emergency" leaves me with no excuse…prepare for the Ryan Ayala life story!
I was born August 11, 1989. This, of course, means that I am a summer baby, which kinda sucks. Nobody knew when my birthday was in elementary school and I could never bring in treats for my classmates to share. For some reason, this tilted me as a young boy.
I attend the University of Detroit Mercy and will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in Social Studies and English with certification in Secondary Education. I am currently doing my student teaching at Sterling Heights High School. It's sweet because I recently took a kid out into the hall and gave him a stern talking to. It made me feel like a grown man…awesome! I also run Cross-Country and Track for the University.
Let's see…I like road trips and traveling in general, eating candy and cheesecake, bro talk, and National Parks. The two best movies of all time are Goodfellas and Point Break, "Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie is the greatest song ever written, and the only car worth driving is a Buick. I once ate 14 pancakes during All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes at IHOP. I live and die by the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Lions (pretty much the only drawback of The World Race is that I will be overseas when the Lions return to the playoffs). I also have a 16 year old sister who was adopted on October 1, 2009 from Russia. She's the best!
I've been on 5 missions trips to Mexico City. We worked in the garbage dumps which provide shelter for thousands of poverty-stricken people. We provided dentistry, medical care, rudimentary optometry, and prayer. It was a great experience, and I'm ready to take what I've learned there and apply it to The World Race.
My relationship with Christ has been marked by many peaks and valleys. I was "saved" when I was 7 or 8 but didn't really know what it meant. I was just told at AWANA that it was a good thing to do and I prayed along with the pastor. Still, there wasn't a real change in my life, not to mention the fact that I was too darn young to get "it." When I was 14, I went to summer camp and was really struck by the words of the guest speaker. He encouraged me to examine my life with a fine tooth comb, and I was blown away by how off track a life without God could become. I mean, it's not like I was out of control and doing unlawful things, but I realized that any life without Christ, no matter how "pure" or "good," is still empty and worthless. I committed my life to Christ that week and was baptized in Lake Michigan a few weeks later.
Still, a life devoted to God is not without its challenges. From the time I was 14 until I was 20, my spiritual life was on a downward trek. I talked the talk but didn't exactly walk the walk, which was evident in my treatment of those closest to me. In October 2009, my girlfriend dumped me because I was being an idiot (to put it nicely). That was the eye opener that finally made me see how far away from God I had really become. I devoted the next month to reading Proverbs and journaling all my thoughts and feelings. I never felt closer to God and could totally feel Him working in my life. I emerged from that time a changed man, a man ready and willing to answer God's call. Of course, there are still bumps in the road from time to time, but all I need to do is think about how upsetting it was, retrospectively, to be so far removed from God. I pray that I will never be tempted to go down that road again.
So that's how I got where I am. Now, about where I'm going…I've got to admit, I was initially drawn to The World Race because of the romantic notion of living out of a backpack and going wherever I was led. Then I looked into it further and realized that this is really what He is calling me to do. I'm so pumped to serve in the name of The Lord. I'm excited to take abused children in Asia out of their hellish circumstances and lead them toward a real life. I'm stoked to experience new cultures. I'm jacked to meet fellow Jesus followers. I want us to help each other grow closer to Him. I'm ecstatic to see where The Lord is taking me and my fellow Racers.
My expectations? Right now, I only have one: To Grow In Him. Everything that goes on between August '11 and June '12 will shape me in some way. The Lord has it all planned out, and I'm psyched to see where He leads the team and I.
