Like many others I spent countless hours in the months leading up to the World Race reading blogs, looking at pictures, and watching videos from the field. I eagerly awaited the time that I would openly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a daily basis around the world, welcoming new believers regularly. Even in my preparation and packing I will admit the question crossed my mind, "would a World Racer use/wear/carry this?"

I found myself trying to conform to this stereotypical mold—the wanderlust traveler with the tattoos, piercings, perfect Instagram photos with even more perfect captions, and beautifully painted word pictures for blogs. My pack would be light, as I lived only off of the bare necessities for 11 months, and my heart would be lighter as I spent my time completely immersed in serving God and spreading His Word. 

And then I was thrust into the middle of it. In my first month on the race—Cambodia—I was rocked with the fact that life didn't just change for the better the moment I stepped on the race. If anything, it became harder. The things I struggled with back home were now highlighted even more and I was still indecisive in choosing my clothes for the day. My time for devotions remained a daily battle due to the lack of routine and my Instagram photos were subpar. I actually began to feel insufficient to be classified as a World Racer. I kept looking forward saying, "Well, in month five when I'm a seasoned Racer then..." Let me tell you, it's month five and I still feel like a newbie.

In Rwanda our ministry [was] mainly going door-to-door evangelizing. In the back of my head I thought it was the perfect World Race month. I assumed we would be welcoming new believers into the family on a daily basis and walking away with amazing testimonies of God's healing power! I'll admit, I already had a blog name picked out for this month. But as the days rolled on, us entering house after house, I began to grow discouraged. We had wonderful opportunities to pray with people who were believers, whether it was for provision for school tuition, or a house, or for a spouse who was not a believer, but we never had the opportunity to directly share the Gospel. It was not until our second week of door-to-door ministry that we were given that opportunity. The feelings of inadequacy were heightened and my thoughts turned to questioning what I was doing wrong. 

In that second week I was struck with the realization that God uses each of us to glorify Himself according to the gifts He has given us. Our translator and guide, Moses, never had an agenda of which houses to visit. He followed the Holy Spirit wherever He was leading each day. Since the beginning of the race my team has noticed God has given us a beautiful gift of encouragement and that's where the Holy Spirit led us, to the homes where we could encourage and build up brothers and sisters in Christ! It doesn't mean we are inadequate at sharing the Gospel, those opportunities have arisen; but He has given us words and testimonies to share that would be uplifting and relatable to those He places in our paths. He works all things to His glory!  

A World Racer is not defined by how many people they lead to Christ, of which God actually does the leading, nor the number of tattoos they possess, of which I am lacking. We are not defined by the healings we witness, of which the Holy Spirit performs, nor the inspiring Instagram photos and captions we post, of which I struggle to compose. We are not set apart from our brothers and sisters in Christ because of our location. We are merely following where God leads, and trusting the Spirit to show up. We are using the gifts that God has given us to bless those we come in contact with. I may be called a World Racer, but I would rather be known as a follower of Christ! 

Check out Becky's video update!