Welcome to my World Race blog! This is where I’ll be posting of my journey ahead and all the amazing things God will be doing. But before all of that, as we stand on the brink of this huge journey, I wanted to share a little bit of my heart for why I chose to go on the World Race and what I’m hoping God will do through it!

Firstly, what is the World Race? The World Race is a 9 month program run by Adventures in Missions that is primarily focused on discipleship and missions. We will be partnering alongside the long-term missionaries in each country to serve, love, and share the good news with the local people. The countries my route includes are Jamaica, Italy, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, and Australia.

I am incredibly excited for this opportunity and as I look ahead to these nine months, there are three main ways/goals I hope God will teach and grow me as I go on this journey!

To See the World:

I have been blessed to have already lived in two different countries, and it has been amazing to explore the cultures, traditions, and beautiful places of both. Because of this, it is incredible for me to think about how many more countries and cultures there are to encounter! I am so eager to see and learn more of God’s creation, cultures, and peoples in each the countries I am going to, and I hope to develop genuine relationships with our hosts and the locals overseas!

To Grow in my Faith:

One of the main reasons I wanted to do the World Race is because of its emphasis on discipleship and hands-on missions. Although my parents are missionaries, I have not yet explored missions as a personal interest or calling, and I am excited to have the opportunity to do so on this trip through tangible service to people in need! Regardless if I decide to pursue missions afterwards, I am trusting that God will grow my heart for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, teaching me what it truly means to love Him, and love others. Furthermore, much of this trip is about surrender and trust. We will be living simply (living only on what we can carry), adapting to new cultures and environments, and facing challenges that we haven’t experienced before. I want to learn to actively rely on God with every step, drawing nearer to Him in every moment of hardship or joy. It will not be easy, but I am trusting that through all of this, God will shape me more into the likeness of Christ.

Learn More About Myself:

As previously mentioned, I don’t know what my future entails beyond this gap year and one reason is I just don’t know what God has put on my heart. As such, as I go on the World Race I am truly hoping to learn more about my purpose in life while remaining deeply rooted in my identity in Christ. I want to understand how God has uniquely gifted me and how I may best use that to serve and love those around me. So I really hope that through the discipleship, community and experiences of the World Race, God can graciously show me who I am in His eyes and through that reveal more clearly what He is calling me.

So that’s a little bit more about my heart behind this trip before I actually depart on it. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of us and I would love if you followed alongside with me!

~IneedaShoe