I was in college when the Lord deepened my passion and desire for cross-cultural missionary work. I knew that God was doing amazing things all around the globe. I was “getting itchy,” eager to play an active role in bringing the Kingdom of God to these different countries. My plan was to leave for the nations as soon as I could after graduating from university/college. God had other plans– I left for the Race about four and a half years after I graduated college.
What happened in between?
I worked in retail.
Again.
The initial plan after graduation was to just to go back to working in retail while I applied to and found a “big girl” job–you know, the job that is in the same field as your college degree, the job that you love, the job that utilizes your skills, passions, and desires, the job that challenges you to grow and mature, the job that pays well. Retail never fit any of those qualifitcations for me. Some people have a deep passion for the retail field, but I am not one of those people. Working in retail has allowed me to serve people well, but it’s not quite what my heart was made for. I never found true satisfaction while working in retail, even though I was serving people day in and day out.
What then, was my heart made for?
My heart was made for adventure, for sharing the Gospel, for bringing the Kingdom of God to Earth. My heart was made for prayer, for worship, for encouraging others, for knowing Jesus and making Him known, My heart was made for living out the dreams that God has entrusted to me. My heart was made to serve those around me in a deep and meaningful way–more than just providing great customer service from the moment a customer enters a store to the moment they leave the parking lot.
My bank account will argue me on this statment, but I’ve found exactly what I have been looking for in a “big girl” job–while serving on the World Race. I have felt true satisfaction in the past ten months. This exact ministry–blogging–has allowed me to use what I studied in college to further the Kingdom of God. I have been able to work in ministries that I love, ministries that make my heart come fully alive The skills, passions, and desires that the Lord has entrusted to me have come in handy again and again in different ministries all around the world. The World Race has stretched me, challenged me to grow, matured me in more ways than I thought were possible. The World Race does not offer a monetary paycheck, but I have been paid well in hugs, laughter, smiles, encouragement, and moments that I will never forget.
I have said often, as of late, that coming on the World Race has been one of the the best deicsions of my entire life, second only to accepting Jesus into my heart. It has been everything that I hoped it would be–and more. The focus of the Race is equal parts mission (sharing the Gospel), discipleship (encouraging and building people up so that they can encourage and build others up), and adventure. Without mission and discipleship, this journey is just a trek around the world. Without adventure, the Race is no different than any other Christian mission outreach anywhere in the world. The combination of these three things is what has made the past ten months of my life unforgettable. Yes, there have been challenges, but there also have been adventures and memories of a lifetime. My heart has felt the adrenaline rush of both ziplining across an international border and seeing pain and sickness leave bodies. I have had the adventures of preaching the Gospel, praying over cities, bringing hope and worth to those who have neither, and sharing the love of Jesus with a language barrier that only love can tear down. I have seen dreams come to life. I have faced fears head on and came out the victor, no longer the victim. I have done that which used to be impossible.
To anyone who may be reading this and considering going on the Race–whether it is a Gap Year trip, an Expedition or Fusion route, the “typical” World Race route–if you are searching for more, if you have heard God’s whisper, if you know that the “American Dream” is not necessarily your dream, if you want to grow in your walk with the Lord, if you want to seek out adventure while bringing the Kingdom of God to Earth, if your Pinterest board is filled with exotic places that you want to travel to, if you have been dreaming of doing something crazy for the Lord—I have one simple tidbit of advice:
The only limits that define you are the ones that you place on yourself. There’s a whole world outside, waiting to be explored. There are people desperate for you to come to them and share the hope that has changed your life in radical ways. There are adventures to be had, fears to be conquered, and bucket lists to check off. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,” because He gave YOU those dreams for a reason and a purpose. HE believes in you enough to give you those dreams, to entrust them to you for such a time as this.
Now is the time.
You know that you were made for more.
Take the leap.
GO.
