Thursday, November 14, 2013

Let's Go on This Adventure Together

So. 
I was notified today that I have been accepted to be a Racer in the World Race! 
I am so excited!! 
My route is scheduled to leave in September 2014. 
As I get further along, I will find out more details. But for right now, I know that I'll be going to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Turkey, Albania,Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras. 
Sweet! 
So, I need all you blog readers to do something for me: I need you to start praying. Praying that The Lord would prepare me for the adventure I'm about to go on, that He would prepare the hearts of those I'll be ministering to, that He would unify my team and my squad to work together for His glory. 
I'll be starting an official World Race blog soon, so when I get that, I'll post the link here.
With the going also comes the cost. I'll be doing some raising of the funds starting shortly. I have quite a bit to raise, as well as buying some supplies and stuff like that. 
The Lord is so faithful!! I am so thankful that He's giving me this opportunity! I can't wait to see what He's going to do! 
Blessings.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

The Going

Here's the deal: I've applied to go on a mission trip called The World Race 
Ever heard of it? 
I'm thinking that most of you haven't. So I'm going to share what it's all about. It is a trip that lasts 11 months and goes to 11 different countries. There are many different kinds of ministries to do in each country. And you're placed on a team of around 7 people. So you "run the race" an travel in a small community of people the entire time on the field. 
And here's why I've applied:
For a while, I've been wanting to travel, so at first I started looking into a month-long trip to Europe to go explore with some friends. I thought it would be so awesome to go and see things I've always wanted to see. And most of all, I thought that The Lord could use that time to work on my heart and maybe give me some clarity about my life and what He wants me to do. So as I prayed for wisdom about that trip, The Lord kept bringing me back to examine my motives. And the more I searched my heart, the more I saw that I was being selfish. I was going to be willing to spend thousands of dollars, for what? To pursue my own selfish desire. It had nothing to do with the Kingdom. It had nothing to do with His purposes. So as the door to Europe started to close, I started asking for wisdom to see what He was wanting for me. As I dialogued with God about this for weeks, my answer came one night while talking to Rachel. Mom and I were watching The Amazing Race on TV, and I texted Rach saying that we should try out for that show sometime. She said that it would be really fun to see the world and also to see how God would work while we were on the race. Her text made me think she was thinking about the World Race. But then the World Race got me thinking...was that even a possibility? Could I do the Race at this time in my life? 
So all that night I was talking to God--going over different possibilities. But all the while knowing that God is Sovereign. He can do whatever He wants. 
So, instead of just waiting around for a few weeks, I decided to go ahead and apply for the Race. I decided to take a step of faith, believing that God will either open this door wide or close it in my face.
I had my phone interview this past week--on Halloween actually. And I think it went well. I talked a lot about my past, how God is working in my life, how He has been working in my life. I won't find out anything for two weeks. So I'm just waiting and hoping in the Father. Trusting that if I am accepted and go that it will be His will. Or if they say no, that it would be His will and He would guide me down His path of life. 
Ultimately, I just want to be obedient to His voice. I want to follow Him down the path that He's already walked for me. I want Him to be glorified in the way I live. 
So I will just keep trusting. 
This morning I read through Jeremiah 1. And The Lord touched me through Jeremiah's call. God essentially says that Jeremiah will go where God tells him to, and he'll say what God tells him to say. Oh, how I long for that to be true of my life. I am hoping and praying for obedience in my life, so that I will go and do what God is calling me to do. 
Blessings