Now that everyone knows WHERE I’m going, maybe some of you are wondering WHY I’m going to those countries. The World Race will be launching 5 routes in January of 2015 (when I leave). Some go to Europe, some to South America, and one is strictly in South America. When applying to go on the WR, you have to apply for a route. Meaning, before applying I had to decide which route I wanted to go on.
Since I had decided back in November that this was something I wanted to pursue, I had to wait until February for the January 2015 routes to be posted and to apply. So when I decided I wanted to apply for the WR, I literally had no idea where I’d be going because the routes weren’t even up. So the route wasn’t a deciding factor for whether or not I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to travel the world to teach people about the unconditional love that Jesus has for us, while being able to experience that love myself.
I got the email in early February that the routes had been posted. Prior to this, I had been stalking the WR website like crazy. (I’m not sure if any of y’all have checked it out yet, but it’ll draw you in!) I had spent countless hours reading about the trip, reading other racers blogs, watching their videos, etc. I had become enchanted with the life of a racer. I wanted to travel to the places they were traveling to, doing the adventurous things they were doing, meeting the people they were meeting. I wanted it all! Except that as this went on, I realized I was focusing more on the fun, exciting, adventurous side of the trip – not the hard, challenging, missionary side of the trip.
So when I got the email, I stopped checking the website. I didn’t even look at the routes. I got off social media (because by this point I was following so many current racers that my feed was filled with WR stories and photos). I decided to spend the week focusing on why GOD wanted me to take this journey. Not why SYDNEY wants to take this journey. The week was a crazy one. The high school state meet (that I was coaching at) was going on – shout out to my awesome LHS swimmers – so my mind was elsewhere during this time. After the meet ended, I spent a day fasting and praying in solitude to God, asking him to remind and reassure me that I’m meant to take this journey.
I prayed over the routes – that I hadn’t yet seen – and asked Him to guide me to a particular route. I wanted (and still want) this race to be about HIM and HIS desires for my life, not my own. When I finally felt at peace about applying, I went to the website and read through the 5 different routes. I had really high expectations that one would just jump out at me and I would know that this way the route for me! It didn’t happen. The opposite happened. I read through the routes and suddenly felt less enthusiastic about the whole trip. So I exited the website and felt defeated. I logged onto Facebook for the first time in days, and I saw the wonderful WR stories that I hadn’t seen in a while. I went back to the WR website, browsed more blogs, and I became excited again. Maybe I needed that reminder that this race will be worth it. I went back to the list of routes, and came to the January 2015 Route 3. I think maybe this route struck my heart because it’s the only route going to Haiti, but I also felt that it was the one route I couldn’t stop looking at. Although I didn’t feel the deepest of connections to it, I did feel that God was leading me to it, so I applied.
Now that I’ve been accepted and can tell people where I’ll be going, it’s all very exciting again! Most people (everyone close to me) have been incredibly supportive and excited for me. However, after listing my route to someone about a week ago, their response was “your going to places that don’t really need you.” I shook off the comment then, but clearly it’s still eating away at me. Could that be true? Does God not NEED me to go to these places?
Again, I had to question why I was doing this. And again, it’s because I want to show people the love that Jesus has for them. I want to love and care for people the way Jesus would. No matter what country I travel to, doesn’t everyone need a little love? This realization reminded me of an argument I had with God when I was trying to convince him that this WR business was not for me. I remember praying, “God, why do I have to travel the world to do mission work? There are plenty of people who need help right here. In Georgia! In the US! Why do you want me to leave for 11 months?” His response?
“Well you’ve been living here for 22 years, and you haven’t started doing mission work yet.”
So maybe these countries don’t need me. Maybe I need these countries in order to be a better disciple of Christ. And if I get to share the love of God while doing it, can it really hurt? Isn’t the trip worth it?
Deuteronomy 13:4 – “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.”
