As I approached the next chapter of my life I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to look like. The more I would think about what I could see myself doing in the future I thought about moments in my life that have been most memorable and really shaped me to be who I am today. It started to become quite clear what those moments were, they were the few missions trips I was a part of. My 8th grade missions trip to Honduras opened my eyes to hurting people in need of God’s love. The many service projects and a missions trip to Massachusetts with Peace Church Youth Group has also given me a heart for missions. My most recent trip to Ireland this past summer with River Valley Church was again life changing and gave me the experience of knowing how it feels to have the Lord work in me. The reason I share these moments with you is because the next chapter of my life is very similar.
I am excited to share that I have the most amazing opportunity this September to be apart of The World Race gap year program through Adventures in Missions. The World Race is a Christian organization that will give me the opportunity to travel to 3 continents in 9 months so that I may serve the least of these among their daily lifestyle. They find people willing to go to the most hopeless places on earth to bring the joy and love of Jesus Christ. They put a team of 55 committed disciples between the ages of 18 and 22, willing to go around the world to leave impact, and fulfilling the Great Commission. I feel incredibly blessed to have been accepted to be a part of a World Race Team that will be serving in Cambodia, Thailand, Honduras, Guatemala, and Ethiopia over the 9 month period starting in September of 2017.
The question that so many people have and will continue to ask me is a simple “why?” It is simple answer really, because the Lord called me to. Beyond that simple answer is also the fact that I am still unsure of what the Lord has planned for education or a career after high school and the opportunity to go on a 9 month missions trip will give me the clarity I have been wanting. Serving the Lord for 9 months straight will also help strengthen my relationship with him to the fullest extent while also having the opportunity to share the love of God with others.
Serving in 5 countries around the world will open my eyes and heart to various new cultures. I am eager to serve in Central America again both Honduras as well as Guatemala. From my first missions trip to Honduras, my heart was opened to the poverty and the need to serve the people of Central America and I know that this will only open my heart more. I am also looking forward to working in Ethiopia as this country has always felt like the heart of Africa to me. And finally, I am excited to travel to the opposite side of the world to Thailand and Cambodia where I will be able to see a totally different culture that is so desperately in need of hearing about Jesus Christ.
I look forward to living with the impoverished and hurting people in each region because I know it will bring me so much closer to the Lord. “Living it” rather than just “hearing it” will shape who I am and the decisions I make for the rest of my life. This very unique opportunity is very humbling and also exciting and I would greatly appreciate your prayers over my decision. While the most important thing I ask of you is your prayer support, I am also faced with the responsibility of raising $15,000 to cover all the costs of this incredible experience. I am humbly asking you to prayerfully consider partnering with me. There is a tab to the left that says “Donate Here!” which makes partnering with me very easy. This blog page is where I will give updates a couple times a month during the trip regarding the people I encounter and what God is doing in my life. Most importantly, I ask for your prayers, prayer for safety, for my health, for opportunities to share the gospel, and for lives of those I will be serving!
