I leave for the world race in 1 day… ONE DAY!!!! I remember last june when I put in my application for the world race just how excited and antsy I was for it to begin. I never in a million years would have been able to predict just how intense the journey leading up to leaving would be. I have never felt so hopeless and lost, encouraged and loved, broken and ignored, supported and cared for, as I have since I decided to follow the calling God put on my heart to be a missionary! The enemy has thrown countless hurdles my way, wanting nothing more than to deter me from following my life as James 1:27 calls us to, saying: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” And I’m sad to say that there have been many occasions where I caved in and began to believe all the confusion and frustrations the devil threw at me, causing me to question if this is actually the path I should go on. I began to tell myself that since I was such an unlovable sinner I wasn’t worthy to be spreading God’s love and that I had to just hide away from everyone and everything concerning God cause I would never add up to the christian I wanted to be, the christian I convinced myself God required me to be to do any real good in the world. Clearly, that is nonsense. Since when does God choose perfect christians to spread His love and His teachings???? NEVER! When you think of people like Saul of Tarsus, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, and King David you wouldn’t necessarily think of them as people God would choose to have on His team, yet even with their countless shortcomings, God loved them and chose them to do great things for Him!
It makes me think of verses like Luke 9:23, “And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” and 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” God does not promise a single time that following where He leads and truly living your life authentically for God is going to be easy. It teaches the exact opposite, that we will be persecuted, hated, we will lose hope, we will fall short, we will be stripped of our earthly desires. But it’s all worth it because what God does promise is that we have eternal life, a home in Heaven, Love and Grace so passionate that we cannot even fathom it! God promises to keep us and guide us, to be with us as we go about every minuscule detail of our lives! He promises that even when we are at our weakest; especially when we are at our weakest, He is strong and He is sovereign over all!
I am joyful for a God who truly provides when He leads! I am joyful for a God who preaches love above all else! I am joyful for a God who forgives us even when we don’t even slightly deserve it! I am joyful for a just and righteous God! I am joyful for a Christ who loves so deeply that He would sacrifice His life for His children!
Okay now with all that being said, I’m going to give some information about all the new things we’ll be doing on the world race! As many of you already know, I’ll be leaving for the world race on september 2! The details are way different now though! Instead of leaving straight to Romania, we’ll be heading to Adventures in Missions headquarters in Gainesville, Ga!! I’ll be spending this fall studying the Bible, missions, leadership, team bonding skills, and just how to be an overall better christian and better missionary at home and overseas! I’ll be living in christian community with other missionaries, and we’ll be growing together with Christ as our central focal point!
Then, in January the plan is for me to still leave the country! We don’t know if we’ll still be going to our original 3 countries (Romania, India, and Costa Rica) but I’m confident that whatever does happen and wherever we end up going it will be God’s will! I’m super pumped about this new plan, because I know I’ll be better equipped to share my faith and just overall be a better disciple of the Lord! And it’s super cool that I’ll be given the opportunity to minister to my local community in Gainesville!
Alsoooooo, I’M ONLY $30 AWAY FROM BEING HALF WAY FUNDED!!!! I have until January to get fully funded ($15,800), and at the pace we’re at we can definitely achieve that goal! In the past 4 months alone we have raised $5,866!!! That is literally INSANE! God is so good and He has really been providing! My next fundraising deadline is october 15, and I need to have $10,000 raised by then! If you would like to help me as I try to raise $2,140 to reach my next deadline, you can either donate directly on my blog, text me at (470)779-6036, or email me at [email protected]! thank you for reading, I hope you have a wonderful week!
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.”
Psalm 119:3-6
oh my goodness yes i would be thrilled for you to share it!! you’re so thoughtful thank you so much!!
Clayton, you are such an amazing soul and God is guiding you each step of the way. You have such blazing a Light for Christ that so many wish & need to see in the world.
I am praying for you as you embark on your journey.
Hi Clayton! I’m Abigail Akin’s mom. May I share your blog on my fb page? We’re trying to help all her squad members race their funds. I can’t promise anything but we’re going to try. Love the words you shared & we’re praying for you all! Walk with the King & be a blessing!!