Hi friends! I am beyond excited to officially announce that I am going on a gap year with World Race come September 2020. I will be doing missions while living out of a backpack for 9 months, as I travel to Ethiopia, Eswatini, and Cambodia. 

So how’d I get to this point? 

That's a good question, friend. Let me tell you all about it.

I originally thought that college right after high school was the plan for me. I really did. I applied to Hillsong College in hopes of attending and participating in their worship program. I was sure I'd get accepted, sure that this was what God wanted for me right after high school. 

Well, God has a way of changing up our plans, doesn't he? 

I did get accepted to Hillsong, but soon I found out that I wasn't going to be able to attend as early as I'd planned due to my age. I was given the option of deferring my application for either 6 months or a whole year. As you can imagine, I was pretty disappointed. I remember talking to my parents after I found out the news. I was distraught because I really thought I was doing what was right and it wasn’t working out. My plan, my amazing plan for my future was falling to pieces. 

But here’s the problem: it was my plan. 

I'd banked so hard on the whole Hillsong deal, that I didn't really take the time to ask God what He wanted for me in this next season. At this point, I had to do some serious re-evaluation. I had to ask myself if I was willing to surrender my plans for His plans and trust that He had something better in mind. The truth is that I wasn’t ready to go straight to college. And God knew that. He knew that I needed an in-between time. And through this whole crazy process, I came to realize that too.

Now I had to face the question of what I would do in either 6 months or a year. I looked at tons of options, and eventually World Race was brought up to me by a friend. I looked into it, prayed about it, and talked to my parents about it. They were incredibly supportive. Everything seemed to line up and point to WR. But most importantly, I knew this time that it was the Lord's plan for me. As I prayed about it, I felt complete peace. I felt him saying that He wanted me to give him this year. He said that this would be a year of total transformation, that there were things he wanted to purge out of me, and things he wanted to bring out in me as I served Him and others. That night that I heard him speaking to me was such a clear confirmation. I was overcome by His goodness and faithfulness in my life. 

I had a plan. God had a plan. They didn't align, so God took over my plans and revealed His own. And I am so glad He did. 

I think we often find ourselves wanting something so strongly that we think it must be the Lord. Maybe it is the Lord at times, but maybe it's the wrong season. I still see Hillsong as an option for the future, Lord willing. But right now what He has for me is World Race Gap Year. And I am so incredibly thankful for that.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a minute to read about my journey so far. If you want to continue to be a part of this, I would absolutely love your support, whether it be financially or through prayer. 

God bless!

Emma