Hey! Hey! Hey!
I’m so glad that you decided to stop by!
I want to share why I decided to do the World Race!!!
Like most of you, I had an outrageous number of people ask me the same question during my sophomore and junior years: “Do you know what you want to do after high school?” I had little idea what to say whenever I was asked that question. I knew I wanted to go where the Lord was leading, but I didn’t know where or what I would do.
I started to look into different colleges and research other programs and scholarships. I knew I wanted to go to college because I love to learn! However, it didn’t seem like my next step for some reason. I had heard of a few people who had taken a gap year between high school and college. At first, I didn’t think it could be for me; after all, I had to stick to the status quo: go to college, get a four-year degree, and start working. Yet God’s ways are not our ways! I talked to my parents about it, and they were initially hesitant, but they knew that the Lord would lead me and place me exactly where He wanted me to be. I continued to pray about it and talk to godly people, and taking a gap year seemed a fantastic idea!
One of the reasons I wanted to take a gap year was to pause for a moment amidst the hustle and bustle of life and, indeed, seek the Lord. I also want to surrender my first year of “independence” to not stray from the path but to press into what the Lord is doing in our generation. I wanted to build a solid foundation on the Rock while gaining a broadened perspective of God’s heart for the global church. I wanted to learn to become a humble servant and learn to do everything in love.
After reading the book Radical by David Platt, I realized there was more to Christ’s church than just America. Jesus was not meant to be another option on the consumerism buffet; he is the bread of life and the living water, for in Him, no one will ever hunger or thirst. I became aware that there were people in other nations without access to the gospel! This broke my heart because that means they do not know the peace, hope, and joy that is found in Jesus. My eyes were also opened to see that sometimes, following Jesus requires us to lay down our comforts for the sake of our convictions. Jesus deserves my whole life, not just some small part of me that people only see on Sundays.
So here I am!! Lord, I am willing!
The World Race Gap Year is a nine-month mission program where I will travel to Guatemala, Thailand, Cambodia, and South Africa with a fantastic team of people. And I couldn’t be more excited! I will spend the first month of training in Gainesville, Georgia, and then the next eight months in different countries, serving with local ministries while also getting the opportunity to share with them the truth of the gospel.
I am so excited and expectant about what the Lord will do during this next season. I would appreciate your prayers and support along the way! I will post blogs here before and during my trip, so if you want to stay in the loop and hear all the fun news, subscribe!!
You’re the coolest! Thanks for reading!
With love,
Emily
