Hi everyone!! Welcome to my World Race blog! Thank you all for being here!!

Since this is my first blog, I wanted to start by explaining what led me to join the World Race!

As most of you may know, I just graduated high school back in early May, and the question that loomed over me the entirety of my junior year, and most of my senior year, was “what am I doing after graduation?” No matter what I thought of, it never seemed right, and it never seemed like I knew what God was calling me to.

The beginning of this year was the start to my second semester of senior year. By then, I thought I had run out of time to choose something, but what I didn’t realize was that God was about to open up doors into such a clear calling on this next year of my life. Right around this time, the Lord suddenly gave me this strong desire to travel and do ministry.

When I started looking into different options to pursue this new desire, nothing seemed like the right fit for me, and I didn’t know where the Lord was leading; but that’s when the idea of going on the World Race came up.

One of my best friends was already committed to going on route 3 of the World Race Gap Year program (which is the one I’m now going on too!!!!), and though I always thought it was incredible she was taking this huge step, I thought it was something I could never do. However, when the idea of going on the WRGY came up, it immediately stirred something in me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and there was this constant peace around it. I felt the Lord opening a door, and asking me to say yes. I had this longing to leave what I’ve always known, and step out of my comfort zone to do something completely outside of myself; something that wasn’t about me. The longer I thought on it, the more I realized I’ve always had the desire to serve, I just didn’t know how to pursue it. So, in March I applied, and committed to serving the Lord with a bunch of amazing people from August-May!! I know it won’t be easy, but I’m ready to live by faith, and walk in the calling He has so clearly given me.

The verse that’s been on my heart during this whole process of committing to the World Race, and has given me a lot of motivation in my fundraising, is Romans 10:13-14, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

I’m so thankful for this opportunity to walk by faith, and grow in ways I can’t even begin to imagine!! It has been amazing to see His constant faithfulness, and His provision in ways I’ve never seen before. Thank you all for the support, and all of the encouragement and prayer!!

Thank you all so much for being a part of this journey, and I can’t wait to share more with everyone soon!

Ella Thoma