Hi! My name is Riley, and I’m a nineteen year old from the suburbs of Chicago. I’m super passionate about serving others and serving the Lord, and I’m so excited for the opportunity to do both this fall with the World Race!
I was first introduced to the missions field my senior year of high school, on a trip to the Dominican Republic with other kids from my school. During our week there, we partnered with Kids Alive, serving in one of their schools and the surrounding communities. We helped in English, art, and gym classes, helped construct a wall outside of the school, built bunk beds for families, and worked on a variety of other projects around the school. We also spent a lot of time just being with the kids, building relationships. And in addition to the work I did and the ways I was able to serve these kids, I was also immensely impacted by them as well. I witnessed their faith and joy in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances. I heard testimonies from young men and women who went through a Kids Alive program, how it changed their lives and their relationships with God. I went to the DR to serve and make a difference in the lives of the kids at that school, and they ended up making a huge impact on me as well.
I had spent my senior year going back and forth about what I wanted to do after graduation. I didn’t know what college I wanted to go to, or even what I wanted to study. And because it’s what everyone else was doing, I felt like I had to go to school. But I was starting to feel like God was calling me to a different path, especially after my time in the DR. So, after a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to take a gap year. After graduating from high school, I went back to the Dominican Republic for the summer as an intern for Kids Alive. Once again, I was met with God’s goodness and love and faithfulness, and it was an incredible experience. It certainly had its challenges, and a few hard moments where I found myself questioning God. But it was also so full of joy and beauty, and as always, God’s plan ended up being so much better than my own.
Once I got home, I spent the rest of my year working and saving up. Which wasn’t initially my plan, and it wasn’t the easiest year. There were times where I doubted my decision not to go to school. Times where I felt like I was falling behind, and missing out. Times where I felt really lonely. My plans and expectations had to shift a lot. I’ve had to figure out who I am without academics or sports dictating my life. And, more importantly, I’ve had to learn to trust and lean on God in a way I never fully did before. I’ve grown a lot, in both my relationship with the Lord and who I am as a person. I got to spend more time with my family, doing things that I enjoy, and I’m so grateful for it. And every change of plan led me here, to the World Race! I still don’t have college plans, but my love for the missions field and serving others hasn’t changed, and I am so excited for this opportunity. I’ll be going to Brazil and Ecuador for three months at the end of August, and I can’t wait to see how God works through this trip.
If you would like to donate to my trip, you can use the support link on the home page of my blog, or use the link in my instagram! Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far, whether financially or through prayer, I couldn’t do this without you!
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