The time has come. The time has come that nearly 200 21-35 year olds have been waiting for. On Saturday September 7th, U, V, W, and X squads will arrive in Atlanta to launch on an adventure of a lifetime. The time to leave for the World Race is here!
It seems like just yesterday I made the decision to apply, abandoning my original plans for 2013 and blindly trusting that this was the Lord’s plan for me. Over the past 9 months, I have seen the Lord provide financially for myself and my squadmates in overwhelming ways. I have seen him answer all of my prayers concerning my team. I couldn’t have handpicked a better group of people! (By the way, if you haven’t yet, scroll down and to the left you will see links to the blogs of my five team members and read them. They’re awesome.)
Over the past weeks and months, I have attempted to think through, pack, think again, and repack for my eleven month excursion. I have tried to prepare as best I can for living out of a backpack and traveling the world for nearly a year. I have tried to wrap my mind around living outside of the United States for a nearly a full year. But, let’s be real, you can’t really be prepared for that no matter what all you bring or how much you research.
On September 10th, I along with about 47 others will be boarding a plane headed to China. We will be living together in a hostel. We will be eating all kinds of new things (Honestly, I’m terrified of the meat I may eat in China!) We will have little to no access to some American norms – like Facebook. We will be living in 24/7 community and participating in daily ministry.
Every day I experience a different emotion. One day I’m so excited I’m ready to leave immediately. The next day I can think of every reason why I shouldn’t go. Regardless of how I’m emotionally feeling, I can’t help, but be excited about this journey the Lord has put me on. I cannot wait to see how he molds me and changes me to be more like him through my experiences on the race. I want to come away having learned more about this world and the people in it. I want to have a greater understanding of what is truly important in the midst of my overly comfortable American lifestyle.
This is my last pre-race blog. Next time I write, I will be with my squad and possibly already in another country! Stay tuned to see how God works in and through me as I begin this journey.
