Taking a leap of faith and moving to Georgia:
So I wanted to write a blog to share what and where the Lord is sending me within this next season of my life.
First though I want to talk about a scene from a movie that I love and that the Lord has been speaking to me a lot about through in this exciting yet scary and growing season I am in and about to be embarking on in September!
In the new Superman movie, called “Man of Steel.” There is a scene where Superman is not sure what to do and He doesn’t know who to trust…. So he goes to a priest for some advice. It’s a powerful scene to me as Superman opens up to the priest in telling him who he really is and what he is going through. As one could imagine, the priest is somewhat shocked to find out who Superman was and at first somewhat taken back on what advice actually to give him.
As Superman goes to walk out of the church, the priest stands up at the last minute and makes this profound yet deeply powerful statement that resonates so much with my core and where I am at in my life right now….
He says, “Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first….
and then the trust part follows after.”
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I have always been sidelines and paralyzed when needing to make big life decisions, but about a couple of weeks ago the Lord called me to something that I have never been so sure of and excited for within my whole life!
God is calling me to move to Georgia and to become a full time missionary with Adventures in Missions (AIM) the organization that runs “The World Race.”
As I just got back from the race about a month a half ago and just turned 28 years old about 2 weeks ago. I have been discerning and asking God what this next season, step, and stage of my life will look like. I have wondered if that is someone working at a church, or someone working with college students, and young adults in helping them know the Lord.
I have wondered if I am being called to be a missionary and to live overseas and work with one of the ministries that I have met and been connected with from my trip.
Or I have wondered if I am being called to use my gifts and talents to lead within the non-profit world at a non-profit organization!
As I have been on the journey of discerning, praying, seeking guidance, and deciding – I believe the Lord has led me to all of these decisions! He has led me to Adventures in Missions!
I am going to be embarking on a journey in September in moving down to Gainsville, Georgia! I will be enrolling in a 4 month apprenticeship program called Center of Global Action (CGA) where I will be mentored focusing on leadership. I feel called to this because I want continue to grow in my leadership and also learn how to run and lead a non-profit organization. I will also be given opportunities to bring my strengths, abilities, and gifts that God has blessed me with and give back to the organization that I believe in so much within this apprenticeship /internship program.
I then in January hope to step into the position of becoming a squad leader where I will be going out into the nations again on the world race! As being a squad leader it will give me the opportunity and chance to be grown in my leadership once again, but this time as the pastor, mentor, and leader that God is molding, forming, and growing me to be! As the squad leader I will be leading around 50 to 55 world racers into the nations on the race! Along with one or two other squad leaders, our responsibility and ministry this time will be yes the people in the nations, but our main ministry and responsibility will be the world racers that we are taking and leading on the race.
To be a squad leader you have to have the prerequisite of already completing and doing the world race. I also must be chosen for this task with going through an interview process where the organization discerns and prays about who the squad leader should be. I feel very strongly that the Lord is calling me to this!
I feel so strongly that the Lord is calling me to work in AIM because it brings my passions of working with young adults and college students together with missions and the dream of starting my own non-profit organization one day.
It also gives me an opportunity to pour into the organization that God has used so much in my life within this past year and also gives me the opportunity to be a pastor and mentor to 55 young people who are embarking out on the world race!
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I am scared to be making a sacrifice like this, but yet I reminded that
Great Love and Great Achievements involve GREAT RISK
or aka GREAT FAITH
Moving down to Georgia, I am being called to live by faith and trusting that the Lord will stir people’s hearts to support me financially to make this calling a reality.
People in my family and even other friends and people in my life all don’t understand why I am doing this. People ask me all the time, “Ryan, your 28, don’t you want to get married, have a family, have a home,your dream car Jeep Wrangler, ect?. Yes I do, but I also know that this is what
I have been created and made alive to do!
My heartbeat is to help others (especially young adults and college students) find out their true purpose in life. I truly believe that people don’t know their true purpose in life, because they don’t know who they truly are in life.
I believe that if I and we can help position someone and walk with them in receiving and experiencing the true freedom, life, and love that Christ brings to one’s life, that their lives will be filled with passion, vision, and their true Godly purpose with a love and a life that they never have experienced or received anywhere else…
I believe this, because this is what has happened to me…
I want to be a part of Adventures in Missions and I am being called to work with the World Race and the organization to ignite passion and activate life into others in and through the Spirit of Christ living within me! I want to be a mentor and grow as the leader and the pastor that God is calling me to be with the racers that I will be mentoring and pouring into while overseas in the nations.
As a squad leader I will just go out on the world race for 5 months. I and the other squad leaders will then raise up new squad leaders and we will leave about half way through the world race trip.to come back home.
I then believe that I am being called back to Georgia where I hope to get a full time staff position with Adventures in Mission where I can continue to pour into future racers and people of the organization. My hope in working with AIM is that I will continue to grow and be molded into the leader and pastor that God is creating me to be!
I hope and feel like the Lord is calling me to work for the organization for 2-3 years. So I am taking a step (leap) of faith and trusting that God will provide me with the resources, community, and support to make this calling a reality!
This is not only a chance for me to continue to serve the Lord and an organization that I believe in and fully support, but it's an investment into my future and into the man that God is continuing to mold, grow, and ignite me to be!
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So as the priest told Superman, I am taking a leap of faith, trusting that God will provide for me through people like you to bless me and support this vision that I believe in with all of my heart that is from him!
I am asking you to prayerfully consider asking God to use you to help support me on a monthly basis, a one time gift, or to become a prayer partner to support and encourage me.
I do not want people to give to me out of obligation or because they feel guilty and that they have to provide for me, but I want people who want to give because they feel the joy of the Lord stirring their hearts to give!
I can’t go after this Kingdom dream without you!
I will be uploading a personal video and testimony about this change and transition to Georgia soon but I wanted to send out the logistics of how people can support and help me!
Here is the support link if you feel lead to give a monthly gift or one time financial gift.(If given online, there will be a 3% processing fee.)
https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=For%20Ryan%20Otto
Here is the address also if you want to mail a check in: please just make sure that somewhere on the check that it is known to go into Ryan Otto’s account. * Please note that if you want a tax write off you must send it to Adventures in Missions but if you are not concerned about the tax write off and want me directly to have it for other expenses needed that you can send any gift directly to me at 396 Ellington Court Medina, Ohio 44256.
Tax Deductible gifts please send and make checks out to Adventures In Missions P.O. Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470 with Ryan Otto somewhere noted on the check.
* For those who feel lead to give on a monthly basis and want to have the financial blessing come directly out of their account with no processing fee please fill out this form at:
* I also will continue to blog about the past year of the world race and what the Lord is continuing to do in and through me with my new adventure to Georgia and then back to the nations. If you are not yet subscribed, please subscribe to this blog to get automatic updates sent to your inbox when I write!
http://ryanotto.theworldrace.org/?isFunction=alerts
Thank you for your prayers, support, encouragement, and belief in me and the calling that God has called me to within my life!
I could not do this alone…thanks for fighting for me and believing in me and inspiring me to go after what the Lord has made me to come alive with in inspiring and igniting others to become fully alive in Christ!
Thank you for your help!
If anyone has any questions please write to me on this blog or personally e-mail me at [email protected]
Thank you for helping me and for believing in me!
And whatever is going on in your life today and wherever you are at…take a leap of faith…and trust that God will bless you and help you!
TRUST THAT YOUR FATHER IS ALWAYS WITH YOU
AND FOR YOU!
