Hey there friend!
I bet one of the biggest questions you have for me is why The World Race? There are lots of different opportunities for the year after high school from trade school to college to other gap year programs and so much more! All of that to be said, I know the World Race is where I am suppose to be this coming year and I couldn’t be more excited!
Growing up I had the travel bug and the desire to travel to help those less fortunate than myself. This dream and desire developed into a tangible career path as I began researching and pondering the lifestyle of a missionary. I did several career projects on missions work and knew that this was where I wanted to be. I wanted to serve others.
During my Sophomore year of high school, I went on a vision trip to Guatemala to see all the different ministries happening there. This trip left me hungry to serve others and not just see what the ministries looked like. Although, it also left me discouraged that I would never be able to do so. As this year of schooling progressed, the pressures of the world began to creep in and kill the dream that God had given me from such a young age. The doubts of ever being able to fund a ministry overseas and the fears of the sacrifices full-time ministry would have began to cloud my vision. Due to all of this, I turned my eyes off of the power and calling of God on my life and turned to follow where the world was telling me to go, college.
As usual, God had other plans. He continued to put people in my life to remind me and point me back to where he has called me to be. On a camping trip, I happened to meet a young girl named Elizabeth who had recently been on the World Race. I got to hear her story and experience on the Race.
Although, following this encounter, I still continued down my own path until some family friends came to visit over the summer of 2020. Having been former missionaries in Brazil, they quickly asked if I was interested in the missions field. As I was about to respond and say no, my mom jumped in and said yes. I then got to hear about their experiences on the missions field and how that impacted her. Looking back, I can’t remember what exactly she said that awakened my soul, but in that moment, God got ahold of my heart and showed me just how much I had gone my own way and stopped listening to the calling he had given my heart.
Quickly following this, I began praying for direction and that God would show me where he wanted me. I looked at several missions programs, but I loved how The World Race provided me with the training and the hands-on serving opportunities different than all the other programs. With this in mind, I began doing the paperwork and take steps of faith towards this trip and God continued to reassure me this is where he wants me with each step I took.
So here we are! There are so many emotions I am feeling and have felt, but more than anything I can’t wait to see what God does over the next year!
Isaiah 8:6 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
I would love to have you follow along on this journey with me! If you would like to receive alerts when I post a blog post, make sure to hit the subscribe button and as always reach out with any questions!
