“Calling” is a funny word, one that I often hear thrown around without any single meaning attached to it. Does it mean having a strong desire to do something, does it mean an aptitude or skill, or maybe it could mean a certain set of circumstances lining up to lead you in a particular direction. It could mean all of these things together for all I know.
But anyway, how did I end up here? Why did I decide to spend 11 months living out of a backpack?
I’ve been interested in missions for a long time. Every time a guest speaker would come to my church and talk about what they did, I would go home wanting to do what they did. I finally got my chance during my Sophomore year of college. My Enactus team (find out more about Enactus here) had a project based in Coimbatore, India, and being from a Christian college, our projects had a ministry focus. A team of students would go there to work and teach at an orphanage and school that summer, and I signed up to go. Six months later, I was on my way there, for two of the most challenging yet fulfilling weeks of my life. India was hot, loud, and occasionally smelled like curry, but when I was there, I felt like I had a purpose, like I was doing the thing I was always supposed to do, like it was something I could do forever.
A second short-term opportunity came in August 2013. Once again with Enactus, I went to Guatemala to serve in both a rural village and at an orphanage in Guatemala City. I fell in love with the country and was determined to go back someday. My original plan was to study Spanish for a month or two and try to find ministry opportunites while I was there. As you can see, that changed a little bit.
So that tells you my past experience, but how did I find the World Race? I had been looking into full-time missions for after graduation, because I had no idea what I was going to do career/education-wise, and until I figured that out I wanted to do something meaningful. I had found a program that would send me somewhere in the US for two years, and it seemed interesting, but I wasn’t 100% on board. I felt I was better-suited to go international, and one day I posted something vague on Twitter about that. Instantly I got a response from my friend Alana (whose blog you can read here).
“You should check out the World Race. Thought of you when I found it!”
So I checked out the World Race and it sounded amazing. The chance to go to 11 countries and partner with organizations and missionaries already working in them was something I just couldn’t pass up. After a lot of prayer and some conversations with my parents and a few trusted friends, I applied, interviewed, and was accepted two weeks ago. It’s actually been less than two months since I first heard about the World Race, I launch in September, and I can’t wait to begin. Of course, I am still treasuring my final semester of college and the time I will get to spend at home before I leave. I would definitely appreciate prayer as I continue the preparation process, fundraising (I will have to raise approximately $16,000 to be fully funded) and of course during the 11 months I will be on the field.
Want to find out more and stay in touch while I’m on the race? Go to the “update alerts” link at the side of the page to subscribe to this blog.
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah-
