Just about three weeks ago, I was fully prepared to attend Texas State, just 20 minutes from my hometown. Now, three weeks later, I am trying to fully prepare for life in Central America for 4 months.
Although deciding to apply for the World Race was extremely last minute for me, I have always had a desire to travel while serving God and getting to meet and love on people. As I entered into high school, I left my dreams of mission work back in middle school because it just seemed too unrealistic. College seemed more practical and there I could do whatever I wanted to, whenever I wanted to (which is an attractive idea to any freshman). Towards the end of my senior year, I had committed and de-committed from 3 colleges and still did not feel peace with my final decision. I had prayed and prayed and asked others to pray my whole senior year for guidance to the right college and into the right major, without ever considering that God may want to take me onto a different path. After graduating, I slowly began to realize that everything I had planned out for myself just did not sit right with me. I had remembered one of my old Bible study leaders, Paige Williamson, had been on the World Race and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to just apply and see what happens. I genuinely thought that I had missed all of the deadlines and so the decision would be made for me. But there was one last application open and I only had ten days left to apply, so I went for it. Even though this was only 3 weeks ago, I can already see the remarkable ways God’s hand worked through that entire decision and still seeing it unfold has been an entire journey in itself. I firmly believe Jesus led me directly to the World Race. What I saw as random and coincidence, I am starting to see is God’s perfect plan unfolding the more I surrender my will and life to His authority.
I am going on the World Race because I want to know Jesus and learn to depend on Him and Him alone because I will be so incredibly outside of my comfort zone. While I am young and spry, I also want to experience other cultures and serve them in whatever way I can. I love meeting and getting to hear the testimonies of others and I cannot wait to experience this in a whole other country and have my perspective on the world completely and radically changed. I also cannot wait to see the lives God will touch and transform.
God has already begun challenging me and using this trip to transform my perspective these last 3 weeks alone, so I am very curious to see the work He will do in and through me and my squad over the course of 4 months.
Thank you for taking the time to read – <3 Sylvie
