She was 20 yrs old and all set to go serve with missionaries in another country. I've been preparing for this since she was 14 yrs old, when she walked down in front of our church family on a Sunday night and announced that she felt God was calling her to missions. I remember that night vividly. A well meaning friend asked "Are you ok? Does this upset you?" To which I very quickly and pridefully replied, "Of course not! How could I be upset that my daughter has decided to spend her life committed to sharing Jesus with others? Isn't this what we've been teaching her, both as parents and as a church? Isn't living out the great commission what its all about?” Well, she was 14 then and for the past 7 yrs. her commitment to missions has not changed but the most it has involved has been a few short term missions trips here and there. THAT, I could handle. But this...this World Race thing...this is surprisingly hard!

I have to admit when she first came to me I was very casual with my responses. I asked some standard questions like, "Have you prayed about this? Are you sure? What about your plans to go to the Country of XXXXXX and serve there? How will you ever raise over $17,000 in that short time frame? Are you positive the appeal is not about going on a "field trip", so to speak, for 11 months? I mean who wouldn't want to travel to 11 different countries in 11 months all the while sharing Jesus?! Hey, I'm jealous! Can I ditch homeschooling, leave your siblings behind and come with you?! " Haha I was doing my due diligence as a mom…a mom who believes our job is to raise our kids to take control of their own life...A mom who believes in equipping our children while they are young so that by the age of 20 they can handle most things without you and they are responsible enough to ask for help or advice when they need it. So when Kierstin prayed about it and a week later came back with “I’ve decided to go.” I'm certain my response came as no surprise to her..."Ok, if you've prayed about it and you feel strongly that God is saying go then I support your decision.

At the time I would not have admitted this...but... there was a part of me that thought she would never go. After all Kierstin is a home body. I’ve raised her to be independent and she is...but we are also very close. Talk everyday, text all day kind of close. She struggled to live 10 minutes from home because she missed us. So she rented out her house, the one she owns free and clear of any mortgage, and moved back in with us. How does a kid like that do something like this? It comes down to one word…GOD. And then there was this $ thing...$17,000 is no joke! Sure, I was supportive in words but I'm not sure I was fully vested in understanding this "race" around the world. I'm not so sure I understood how much faith this was really going to take for both of us. My well meaning friend 7 yrs ago who asked me if I was upset when Kierstin announced her call to missions must have known something I didn't because this is hard...surprisingly hard

We are approaching the end of her first month away and I find myself more fully vested and supportive then before. Trying harder now to have the kind of faith this requires...the kind of faith I thought I had. God is growing me and growing pains are painful at first but already I am thankful for what I’m learning. I expected her to grow. I expected her to change. I expected her to struggle more then me. After all this is her journey. I was so wrong. This is our journey…our journey as mother and daughter, our journey as a family, and our journey as believers. God is working here in our home in unexpected ways as he uses her and her team to do big things in His name on the other side of the world. This squad of some 40 plus young people are about to pack up and head to their 2nd destination...not just 5 minutes up the road either...but to a whole new country! This is an incredibly brave and courageous group of young people!

Some may think they are just adventurous young people on a journey to see the world. That couldn't be further from the truth. (Just read some of their blogs) Each one of them has left the comforts of home, the cushy life living in the US gives us, and each one of them has made a sacrifice to travel all around the world with a group of strangers in the name of Jesus…strangers that will slowly become like family. They will do hard things. They will see things they wish they could erase from their memories. They will leave pieces of their hearts with people in 11 different countries and all over the US as they develop relationships with their teams. Where will they serve this month and will they have internet so we can communicate? Will they miss home as much their second month or will they miss it more? Will they have a host family that has space indoors or will they sleep in tents? Will they get sick and if so will they have the proper care? Will they ever feel at ease to loosen up and be themselves with this group they just traveled halfway around the world with. When they all eventually relax and their true colors show will they still like each other or will conflict begin to rear its ugly head? 

So many unknowns! But this is what I DO know… my faith is being stretched to new heights. Jesus said “ ... Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Mathew 17:20 With enough faith we can move this mountain of unknowns directly into the hands of God and leave it there! God began revealing how little faith I actually had when she started fundraising and I had to pray for Him to help my unbelief. He did just that! With just over $2,000 left to raise I realized that $17,000 is nothing in God’s economy! Secondly, my eyes are being opened to see differently.

Jesus said before He left this earth…”Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12 NIV Our family is being nudged to live this out! Do you have enough faith to believe you can do even greater things then Jesus? Lastly, Jesus never said following Him would be easy. In fact we were told...“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 NIV

This It is part of our kids denying themselves and taking up their cross to follow Jesus but it’s also us doing the same. No wonder it’s hard…this adventure for Jesus…this thing called the World Race. But you know what else I’m surprised by? That these growing pains…this stretching of my faith…this opening of my eyes is good…really really good and Im excited for what’s next!