Thank you for checking out my blog! Whether you’ve known me for a long time or are just getting to know me, I’m glad you’re here! Tomorrow I head off for training camp in Georgia for two weeks, then straight to Thailand! I’m SOOO excited to see how God works in me and through me on this trip!
I’d like to share a bit about what the World Race is, and about my story on how I arrived at the decision to do the World Race!
The World Race is an organization that falls under Adventures in Missions, a Christian organization that oversees a variety of missions and ministries. The World Race specifically is longer term missions geared towards young adults. I am doing the World Race Expedition, which is an 11 month journey to 6 different countries where we will be partnering with local ministries to serve in any capacity that is needed.
There are about 20 of us going on this particular expedition, and we will be going to Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. We will be traveling from country to country together, and will be splitting up into smaller groups of about 5 to 7 to be paired with the various ministry hosts. Some of these ministries might be in the heart of the city, some might be very remote, and they cover a variety of types of outreach. Some of the ways we might serve include teaching English, running Bible studies, running kids’ sports camps or VBS, manual labor, working with victims of trafficking, assisting refugees, ministering to tourists, going on prayer walks, street evangelism, raising up leaders, providing education, assisting in community development, leading worship, sharing Biblical messages, and so much more! I can’t wait to see what God has in store and how He can use me to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others, and to further His kingdom by introducing people to Him!
You might be wondering how I came to decide to do the World Race. It was a long process! I first heard about the World Race back in 2019. I was listening to a podcast called “Late Night with Stephanie May Wilson”. It’s a podcast geared towards young Christian single women that a friend recommended to me. (Thanks Ariana!) The host would talk about a whole variety of topics with various guests. On multiple occasions she talked about the World Race, which she had done. I thought it sounded like such a cool opportunity to be able to minister to a variety of people in the context of community, and it really piqued my interest. It stayed in the back of my mind for a while, but I didn’t do much with it because shortly after, COVID hit, and I did not want to deal with all the unknowns and travel restrictions that were going on during that time. After that, I got involved with a great church community and got a job at BISSELL that I really enjoyed. It stayed on the backburner of my mind, though, as something that would be really cool to do “someday.”
God started nudging me and stirring things in my heart though. In February of 2022, I went to visit a Christian community that focuses on hearing words from God and discerning them, and sharing them with others. I showed up for the very first time and the pastor there came over to me and shared a word with me from God. He said that I have a spirit of adventure, and that there’s a ministry that’s on my heart and that I didn’t know how it would come to pass, but that they would. I knew immediately that he was talking about the World Race! That’s the first time I felt like God actually was calling me to do this, but it still took me some time to decide to do the World Race. Early in 2024, I realized I was feeling stagnant and I was yearning for something more; a higher purpose. Throughout the year, God spoke to me through scripture and family and friends, and things really started to stir in my heart that the World Race might be something I need to do.
I started researching the World Race more and more, and started talking to people that I know that have done the World Race to learn more about it. I learned that the living conditions could potentially be quite a bit rougher than I was initially expecting, so then I started to doubt if I was really cut out for the World Race. I’ve mostly glamped, and I’ve only really camped in tents a weekend at a time, in tents you can stand up in. Living out of two backpacks and sleeping on a sleeping pad the majority of the time is a big jump from that!
In September, I was driving to work and I prayed to God and I told Him that I was pretty sure He was calling me to do the World Race, but I wanted to be entirely sure without a doubt that He was calling me to do it because I knew that doing the World Race would stretch me a lot. I asked for a sign that would be so clear that without a shadow of a doubt, He’s calling me to do the World Race. As soon as I was done praying, I opened Abide, a Christian meditation app with daily meditations based on scripture. I jokingly thought to myself: “If today’s meditation is based on the great commission, then I KNOW God is calling me to this!” And sure enough, that day’s meditation was based on the great commission:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
I immediately broke down into tears knowing that God was practically yelling in my ears “YES, my child, I am calling you to go on the World Race!”
The very next day I applied, and now, here we are! I officially committed, and began to fundraise. I had to raise $19,850 to cover the costs of travel, food, lodging, insurance, and other costs associated with going on this trip. Within 5 weeks, I was fully funded. PRAISE GOD! I am so grateful to be surrounded by such a supportive community of family and friends that believes in the work I am about to do. THANK YOU to everyone who has provided support, both financially and through prayer.
I would greatly appreciate your support through prayer. I would appreciate prayers for health, safety, wisdom, discernment, team unity, courage, strength, meaningful connections, and most importantly, hearts won for Jesus!
I will continue to post updates to my blog as I am able, to share what I am up to, how God is moving, and prayer requests! Thank you for tagging along with me on the World Race, I look forward to sharing this journey with you!
In Christ,
Abby Brinks
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