Hello all, as some of you may or may not know, I have recently been accepted on a mission trip program called the World Race Gap Year! As I’m finishing my last year of high school, I’m excited to embark on this journey with God before beginning college or entering the workforce. For those who do not know, the World Race Gap Year is a nine month mission trip for graduated high school students from the ages of 18-20. While on the trip, myself and my peers will be going to three different countries and doing various ministries to help bring Jesus’ love to the world.
I first heard about the World Race in 2014 when my brother Will signed up for the trip himself. With my brother, my sister-in-law Jen is alumni, as well as her sister and many others from our church. Watching my close family and friends leave for 9 months each to serve in ministry, dive deeper in their relationships with God, while traveling the world, sparked a dream in me to do the same!
For years I wasn’t sure if this experience was simply something I wanted for myself, or something that Jesus was calling me to. I prayed for clarity to know God’s desire for my life. On a Wednesday evening at church nearly 2 months ago, I traveling missionary came to share about his amazing ministries in Burma and how he was helping others find Jesus. While listening to him speak, I really felt Jesus tugging on my heart and telling me that he wanted me to go on the World Race and be a missionary too. It was such a sense of joy and peace knowing that this path is what God has planned for me next.
My next task was to choose my route. Adventures in Missions gives out five different routes for participants to choose from during their application process. After looking over each route and reading about the countries, I was drawn to one set of countries specifically. Yet, with this being a pretty big decision, I wanted to make sure that I chose the one that God had for me. I asked my brother’s wife Jen how she chose her route. She told me that she had her mom randomly list each route 1-5 and then she prayed over each number to see if she felt drawn to one. I thought this was an awesome idea, so I had my mom mix up the routes and write them down 1-5, in secret. I also asked her to pray over the routes with me.
All that week I was praying over the 5 separate numbers. I would take the time and individually pray over each number and listen to Jesuss voice. As the week went on, one number stood out above all the other ones. I would be praying and the number 3 would just be constantly on my mind. I would try to pray over a different number, but I just always found my way back to 3. At the end of the week, I asked my mom what number she had been thinking of. It was a very nerve racking experience; the anticipation and hope that it would be the same number as mine was very scary. To my surprise, my mom said 3! The joy was unreal in having this confirmation and it was so cool to see Jesus work in this way. Crazy enough number 3 was the route I was originally drawn to. Jesus is truly amazing! With much anticipation, I’m very happy to announce that I will be traveling to: Guatemala, Ecuador, and Nepal!
In leaving on this trip, I will need support from my friends and family. First, I will need lots of prayer for God’s guidance, safety, and help to raise the funds necessary to go. With that, my second need is financial support. Between now and September, I have to raise $15,800, which will cover my flight insurance, food, a place to sleep, and many other things. If you feel led to give any amount, I would so appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your support, both prayerfully and financially.
