Hey! Welcome!
As I sit down to document my World Race journey online for the first time, I can’t help but reflect upon the Lord’s faithfulness and tremendous grace that has brought me to this moment. I never imagined that I would be preparing to go overseas for nine months to serve God’s people, but the Lord’s guidance has brought me deeper and further than I could have ever thought possible. Six years ago, I barely saw myself living one more year. Yet, here I am, living a free, joy-filled life, following the Lord wherever He leads me, and the World Race Gap Year happens to be part of my journey!
So, why the World Race?
About four years ago, I had a conversation with the lovely Leanna Murphy (miss you!), and she told me that she would be participating in Gap Year. I thought that she was crazy for wanting to do something like that, but that conversation stuck in my mind until I went to a youth conference with my church a couple of months later. At the conference, one of the speakers called students who felt called to ministry to come near the stage, and I responded. In that moment, I had full confidence that the Lord was calling me to go on the World Race, but it didn’t start to become real until about six months ago. I had started to doubt that this was really what the Lord was calling me to do because I had allowed the fear of the unknown to convince me that I wasn’t good enough to do something like this. However, the Lord remained faithful and proved to me over and over again that He would equip me to do what He had planned for me!
So, what does all of this mean?
In September of 2022, I will be leaving for nine months to travel to Cambodia, Thailand, Eswatini, and Guatemala. While I am away, I will be serving the people of each country based on their needs at the present time, so I am unsure of many of the details of ministry at this point. I will keep this site updated as much as I possibly can!
I still can’t believe that I have the opportunity to serve the Lord and His people through the World Race, it truly is a dream come true. Though I am overjoyed to be taking this journey, to say I’m overwhelmed would be an understatement. I am feeling basically every emotion under the sun, but above it all, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding has been my steady guide. I am incredibly grateful for the community the Lord has blessed me with, and your support means everything to me. If you feel led, please consider supporting me prayerfully, financially, and through encouragement. This has been one of the most challenging seasons of my life, but the Father faithfully reminds me of the truth of Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12-14:
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
The work that He began in each of us will come to completion! Let us forget what is behind and look forward to what is ahead, as the Lord is inviting each of us to walk in step with Him each and every day. I pray that the Lord would remind you of the depths of His love for you today! Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or prayer requests, I’m incredibly grateful to be on the earth at the same time as you!
With love,
Baylee Murphy
