Ruth 3:18 “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens.”
And that is indeed what I have done the past several months. This time of uncertainty has been one of the hardest times thus far for me personally. Constantly worrying and making up a thousand different scenarios in my head, but also reminding myself that He has a plan for me.
Quick recap: I applied and got accepted into the World Race in October 2019. During this year I have been able to grow as a person spiritually and gain some of the most valuable friendships. Well here we are, almost a year later, living through a pandemic and the thought of “what is going to happen?” constantly running through our mind.
By the grace of God and my parents, I was able to have several of my teammates join my family and I in Virginia for a long weekend. (Holding safety precautions, etc.) In a quick summary, this was by far the best weekend of my life. Meeting my teammates for the first time, not over zoom, and instantly feeling connected like I had known them for years. We shared our hearts with one another and made memories that will forever last a lifetime. My teammates are the most pure and genuine people I know.
Just yesterday, my team and I received, “the big update.” Before receiving our e-mail, I was expecting it to say something along the lines of Adventures telling us what is going to happen next. This is quite the opposite of what happened. Rather, we were presented with three different options to choose from because of the original route getting canceled. My heart instantly dropped knowing that my teammates and I would not be our full “squad” anymore.
Option 1: Still launch in October as planned and spend the first few months statewide working with US ministries. After these few months, the journey would move forward to Central America, South America and Southeast Asia. (depending on circumstances. )
Option 2: Defer to a January Route where it’s strictly international mission work. This option was presented with another 3 routes within.
Option 3: Defer completely to August 2021.
After opening up the e-mail, I spent the rest of the day trying to process even half of what was going on. Texting teammates, friends from home, family, and joining zoom calls with my squad. Sharing tears, prayers, worries, pros and cons started to become a normal conversation.
Today, after prayer, conversation with my loved ones, and the reminder of my WHY, I have decided to wait until January to launch. In the next few weeks, I will receive an e-mail about the different routes and details more focused on my new upcoming trip.
So, the update in a few words, Yes, yes I will still be continuing on with the World Race. Hoping everything works out for January, I will be launching then. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all my friends, family and supporters during this journey. I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without all of the love.
Although my team and I all won’t be together, there is something I can take away from it all. The Lord brought us all together for a reason. That reason could simply be friendship. We were all meant to meet each other and learn from one another. Now as we all go our separate ways, we are able to take the community we have built and share it with the world. To my teammates, this isn’t the end- You will forever be my family.
Thank you for taking time to read, there will be more updates to come.
All love,
Tianna
