I first heard about the world race through a college friend just a few months before I began my 3rd Celebrity contract onboard the Silhouette. She thought I may be interested, and though it sounded pretty sweet, I didn’t put much thought into the idea.
About a month into my contract, our group received the news that a cappella groups were being cut by Celebrity. We were told we could finish out our contract though. A month later, the world race randomly popped back into my mind. I began doing some research and became more and more interested in the race. Then, I prayed for something I normally don’t do… for God to give me a sign if He wanted me to go on the race. I wanted to be sure I was being called to this, because of the big commitment it requires (11 months of serving).
Just a couple days later, I was in the HR office inquiring about starting a Bible study and starting some sort of support for a charity. I had been putting this off for quite some time but finally decided to go. The Chief Housekeeper at the time, Allen, apparently overheard our conversation next door. He called me into his office afterwards and began to tell me how awesome he thought my idea was and how he was looking to get involved with a Bible study as well. He gave me a book to read that my brother had also told me about. He shared some of his life with me, and then told me he was about to leave on vacation. During his vacation, he would be spending time in Peru on a mission trip. Immediately, my thoughts and feelings went to the prayer I prayed about the world race. I broke down and began to cry tears of joy. It was one of greatest moments of my life.
I continued to research, talk to people, and pray about the race. Finally, it seemed pretty clear that this was something I needed to do. I’m very excited about this opportunity to help those around the world in desperate need and to share God’s love for them.
-Tyler Shugart
