Hello everyone! I’m glad you’re here to find out WHY I chose to do the World Race!

After countless conversations with people about my commitment to the World Race next year, the recurring question is why. Why leave your family and friends, your job, and your comfortable life here to go to foreign countries across the world and live out of a backpack for 11 months? The answer is quite simple actually.. but it was a process to get to this decision.

If you would have asked me 2 months ago where I planned to be for the duration of 2022, my answer would have looked a lot different than it does right now. Doing the World Race was not in my life plan. My life plan included moving back home permanently after two years of being a traveling occupational therapist. I mean, ask anyone I had talked to 2 months ago.. I bet they’ll confirm I basically came home shouting “I’m home forever!”. My life plan included getting a 9-5 job. My life plan included hopefully finding a godly man, getting married, buying a house, having kids, and “catching up” to the point in life that seemed like everyone around me was at. My life plan was to have stability and comfort.

It wasn’t until one day a little over a month ago that I was asking myself “Am I living out my calling?”. I had been making decisions based on my wants and desires. But what did God want? I knew He had called to be an occupational therapist, but I also knew I had a calling for mission work and a soul that desired adventure. I knew God had given me a servants heart to help people and make a difference in peoples lives for God’s kingdom. I had heard about the World Race from a friend, and it was something that intrigued me. But for someone who is not the lightest packer and enjoys AC and daily showers - I quickly realized that this would likely be physically uncomfortable. It would be challenging. And it would force me to put complete trust in God.

After weeks of prayer, I couldn’t help but feel an immense peace about committing to this journey. I knew the Lord was leading me in this direction and I could choose to obey, or I could choose to continue with my own plan. A few weeks later I committed to the World Race knowing that I was not only committing to the World Race, but I was committing to living out God’s calling for my life - even if that included discomfort. 

I am honored that God has chosen me to be a part of His Great Commission, that I get to go and make disciples of all nations. I get to go serve unreached people groups that have desperate physical and spiritual needs. I’m so thankful that I serve a God who had this planned from the beginning, whose ways are higher than my ways, whose thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and whose will for my life is better than any will I could choose for myself. This is not my plan, but God’s. And His plan is exceedingly and abundantly so much better than any of the plans could try to choose for my life.

So why am I doing the World Race? I am doing the World Race because I am choosing my calling over my comfort. I’m choosing to find true comfort in the One who is my Comforter, my Father, and my Friend. I’m choosing to trust and obey God and his will for my life. And I’m choosing to sacrifice my own life plans for the One who sacrificed His life on the cross for me.