If you know me at all, you probably know that I have a best friend who goes by the name Mary Magoni. We’re pretty much kindred spirits – from our love of coffee shops and scarves to our shared heart for the nations, we just get each other. Know what I mean?
On Wednesday, August 31st (7 days ago), Mary arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia after an 11 month journey known as The World Race. Yep, she’s a World Racer too. (You should check out her blogs…hint,hint) It was a long anticipated reunion…friends and family made an unforgettable scene in the middle of the Arrivals area of the airport. I was beyond excited to physically hug my friend…e-mails and Skype chats can only suffice for so long. Finally, my best friend was home!
I can recall our senior year of college, where The World Race began to sneak into both of our lives. Mary and I were roommates, and spent most of our mornings skipping our 11am Animal Science class in exchange for 50 more precious minutes sipping coffee by the window in our “Breakfast Nook.” During our time at Berry College we both have had the opportunity to study abroad and our dorm room was adorned with cultural paraphernalia from our travels. Conversations of missions were frequent during our morning Breakfast Nook routine as graduation quickly approached and our clean-slate futures demanded attention.
I first heard about The World Race while I was still in high school, but had tucked the thought in the back of my mind, thinking that I would do it…one day. As Mary and I discussed our futures and our love for the nations, The World Race crept back into my mind. I shared with her what little I knew about it, and she looked into it. Graduation came and went, and I was called to serve a second summer as a camp counselor at Camp BlueSky in Kenya. However, The World Race stuck with Mary, and God began opening doors for her to go on the Race!
Throughout Mary’s journey with The World Race we kept in touch regularly via e-mails and Skype. At first, it was extremely difficult, on my end. I missed my best friend like peanut butter misses Nilla Wafers, not to mention she was traveling to foreign countries to love on God’s children of the nations!
God began to stir in my heart an ache for the nations like never before…and I began to pray and look in to ministry opportunities. I narrowed it down to 2 ministries, but God told me to wait until the end of January. I spent that month praying like never before, looking for guidance from my Heavenly Father. In February 2011, I decided, on a whim, to pull up The World Race website. That’s when I saw the October 2011 Route and felt that incredible peace that only comes from the Lord.
So, here I am. Blogging on my very own World Race website, with my launch date less than a month away!
How thankful I am to have my best friend home a month before I leave on The World Race. You can bet that I have been drilling her with questions about what to pack and expect on The Race. We felt like kindred spirits before, but I can already tell that sharing in The World Race experience is going to bring our friendship to a whole new level. I’m so excited to see where the Lord takes us from here!
Happy 24th Birthday, Mary Magoni….this blog is dedicated to you and our friendship. I thank God EVERY day for allowing me the honor of being your friend.
