I’m a senior this year, which means I’ll be moving into adulthood within the next year. Most of you are probably wondering where I’m going to school next year, but I’m excited to announce that God has other plans. From September of 2020 to May of 2021, I will be taking a World Race Gap Year through a company called Adventures in Missions. This means I’ll be taking a year off of school, work and other routines to do missionary work internationally. I will be going to eSwatini, Ethiopia, and Cambodia, spending three months in each country. I’ll experience other cultures, minister, build community, and grow in my walk with Christ all while living out of a backpack! I will go with a squad of about 25-45 racers and staff. The racers I will be going with are in my age range because it is a gap year route. We will be working on Adventures bases and with local ministry partners while serving in several different areas of ministry. One of the main focuses of my route is working with at-risk children/orphans. We will be involved in providing children basic necessities such as food, clean water, education, healthcare, and discipleship. We will also love on elderly populations, work on restoration projects, teach English, and be involved in community outreach.
You’re probably wondering how this happened. Originally, I thought I would be going to college next year and finishing out my degree. As a started to get into the process of applying for college, I started to question what I was doing and if I was going to be where I needed to be. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, I wasn’t sure of what I was majoring in, I had lots of trouble with documents and such, and things just weren’t going smoothly to say the least. At the same time, I became more in love with the ministry of foster care. God started to tug on my heart and I began wondering what orphan care and missions in general looks like internationally. I’ve always wanted to go on mission trips internationally but just haven’t had the opportunity for numerous reasons. It occurred to me that a gap year would be an opportunity to immerse myself in ministry, remove the distractions that I often let keep me from God, push past fears, and build biblical community. I have a friend who is about to launch on an expedition route, and I heard about Adventures through her and watching her journey. When I found this route and began to read into it, I knew I needed to apply. I spent a lot of time in prayer asking God for instruction and to lead me where He wanted me. I ended up getting accepted and was overwhelmed with excitement. I felt the Lord telling me to go and opening up opportunities for growth. Honestly, I didn’t really see this in my future; I never thought I could just take a year off of school, work and everything. But God revealed that this is what He wants for me, and I’m thankful that His plans will always be better than mine. I know that He will do great things and change my life through this journey.
In order for me to complete WR Gap Year, I’ll have to fundraise $15,600. Yes, this is a large amount but I know that God provides and makes a way when it’s in His will. I ask that you would be praying for myself and my squad during this time, and that you would prayerfully consider contributing to my fundraising efforts. There are many different ways that you can do so, such as pledging to give monthly, giving a one time-gift, participating in fundraisers such as t-shirts, referring me to other donors, and more. I will put out more information and updates in the future. Until then, thank you so much for taking time to be involved in my journey. If you have any questions or would like to talk in further detail please let me know. 🙂
