How I ended up going on the World Race

So what’s this World Race venture you speak of?

I like to plan and be in control. That works for me most of the time. I like to do things on my timing in my way. But my Father doesn’t operate that way. He is King of Kings and outside of time and He rules, literally. So when I was just plugging along in my life working my normal regularly irregular schedule, He nudged me and I sort of took the hint but then He had to shake things up a bit to really get my attention. 

You see, I, like most people, am a creature of habit and comfort. I was getting burned out in my job but I just kept trudging along because sometimes the fear of the unknown is greater than the known beast that you have learned to manage. 

So, being the planner that I am, I had thought of maybe doing the World Race mission trip in 2019, you know, to give me time to prepare everything and save up the funds and have ample time to essentially pack up my life and put normal comfortable American life as I know it on hold for a year. After all, I haven’t even been in my current location for a year yet so I don’t want to just up and leave it already when I’m just putting down roots. And anyways, I have a 2 year contract with my job so I have to fulfill that.  And how would I explain that on my resume?  It doesn’t look good to go from job to job.  I worked so hard to get where I am in my career so do I really want to put my future job prospects in jeopardy to go on a trip where I’m required to carry everything I own on my back for a year, camp out in a tent, and endure the heat in countries with no air conditioning?  I mean, who does that? 

Well, the Lord had other plans and it’s true that “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” [Isaiah 55:9]  So, I found out at the beginning of August that my company was losing the contract at the hospital so I would soon be out of a job. Naturally, I was somewhat panicked but I tried to remain calm and trust the Lord. I used my connections to attempt to get another job but I kept coming up against closed doors. So, I kept trying. He wants us to persevere, right? “Well, we don’t have any openings right now.” “If you had called me two weeks ago, I would have hired you on the spot.” “Something might open up; one just never knows.” Not what I wanted to hear.  So I pondered and thought and pondered some more. And the World Race kept coming to my mind. I entertained the idea of going now instead of in 2019 like I’d tentatively planned. But, I don’t have enough time to raise the money, I thought. I already am committed to the Uganda Mission trip and it’s the same time as the World Race mandatory training camp. It just won’t work, I thought. I even got my notice in the mail to renew my lease in October and I called to get an appointment set up to renew it for a year but the lady said I’d have to wait until mid September as they were busy trying to get August leases renewed and they took priority. Guess I can’t check that off my list, I thought. 

So, I explained my dilemma to my close friends and multiple friends encouraged me to apply for the World Race. “But the deadline is in 2 weeks.” “I can’t back out of my Uganda trip now and the training camp is the same exact days.” “I can’t raise the funds in time.” “I’m co-leading my bible study and just getting settled. I can’t leave now.” I kept wrestling with the Lord and couldn’t sleep because I was preoccupied with my future and didn’t know what to do.  One of my newer friends had lunch with me one day and challenged me to “Just apply; all you have to do is apply and take the first step of faith and then see what the Lord does.” So, I decided to apply. And, after I completed the application, I had peace that I had been missing before and I felt at ease because at least now, it really was in the Lord’s hands. If He wanted me on the World Race, He would make a way. So I had my interview two weeks later (the earliest they could manage) and found out 1 day prior to the deadline for applications that I was accepted.

And the rest is history 😉  Well, not quite. I am so excited to go on the World Race and practice the art of self-denial and abandonment and serve my Lord and His people and develop more intimacy with Him. My dear friend, who went on the World Race 8 years ago, still can’t stop talking about it (and I’ve only known her for 4 months) and the impact it had on her life and Her walk with the Lord.  I want that. Her awe of Him and closeness with Him; she calls Him beautiful and she wouldn’t change a moment of her messy story because she gets that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” [2 Corinthians 4:17] And I struggle to honor the Sabbath and set aside time for spiritual Rest in the Father.  So, my Lord is taking me halfway around the world so I can practice the spiritual discipline of Rest and abiding with/ in Him so that I can be filled to overflowing and live my life as a living sacrifice of outpouring to others for His glory. So let the games begin. Or the packing, rather 🙂

Side Note #1: I ended up backing out of my Uganda mission trip for which I had paid $3000+ before I got accepted to the Race (just did it on faith) and they graciously refunded me almost all the money! And by the time I got my official acceptance to the Race, it was too late to ask off for the 10 days for mandatory training camp BUT I‘d already gotten approved time off for my Uganda mission trip which were THE EXACT SAME DAYS OF TRAINING CAMP. 

Side note #2: I took the PA recertification exam a year early in April of this year BEFORE I’d even heard of the Race and if I had waited til 2018 to take it, I would’ve lost my national PA certification because I was out of the country basically all of 2018. 

 IT’S LIKE THE LORD KNEW I WOULD GO ON THE RACE! Haha, He’s so GOOD!