Training for the race…

Before I considered World Race, I signed up for a mission trip with my youth group to go to Croatia. All I knew going in was that we were hosting a camp for teenagers there. I was so excited to go, but didn’t know exactly what it was going to be like. I have just gotten back, and I was so encouraged by the experience. It’s made me even more excited for what is coming up with World Race. 

In Croatia, my youth group teamed up with a local church to put on a week long camp. We lived with Croatian teens and Ukrainian refugees for the week. From worship, to dance parties, to going to the coast, God was with us in it all. I got to hear incredible stories of hope amidst the devastation of war and how God is at work in the middle of it all. It was a trip that I won’t forget. The amazing part about the camp in Croatia is that God worked in amazing ways in such a short time. On World Race, I am looking forward to having a longer opportunity to love others and serve the Lord.

Each country I am visiting with World Race’s Outreach team will have it’s own set of needs and opportunities to serve. In Antigua, Guatemala, our team will be working with kids to teach them English. We also get spend time with them playing sports and just hanging out. In Craiova, Romania, I will be working along side Hope Church to interact with college students and show them Jesus’ love! We will be partnering with local churches to help in their work with local teens, college students, and youth groups. The next stop on the race will be Eswatini, which is a small country inside South Africa. There we will get to work with kids that have been impacted by the AIDS epidemic. My squad will be coming to help serve along with the Adventures in Missions Base to give basic aid like food, water, and shelter. Finally, I will travel to Jeffery’s Bay, South Africa, to work with the Global Leadership Academy in providing food to families and children. We will also be spending time with tourists from all over the world to show them God’s love! 

Croatia has given me a feeling of confidence that God is leading me to serve all over the world. In every country, I know that I will see that God is already working in the lives of His people. I pray that God will use me to help and love people in a way that brings glory to him!

As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you have learned a little bit more about what I will be doing and who I will be serving! I hope that you will follow along as God works around the world through each person I meet!

– Lauren