I am going.

In 6 months, I am going overseas for 11 months. I will travel to 6 countries and 3 continents. It is quite humbling to imagine as I just got home from an office job sitting in my scrubs sitting at my kitchen table enjoying a home cooked meal. I am not sure if I am ready to leave this luxurious life. The thought of this journey is just as perplexing as it is exhilarating, but it is clear that I must go.

With the mobilizing efforts of a ministry by the name of Adventures in Missions, a team of about 40 will be traveling to a region of the world that contains some of the most remote, unreached people groups on the Earth. The team will have the opportunity to serve them along our route which include Eastern Europe, Southeastern Asia, Middle East, and Central America. These places are ravaged by war, terrorism, trafficking, and economic poverty.

So why am I going? Why, for the next year, am I giving up a life of comforts and opportunities so I can go and serve people I have never met in countries I have never seen -- where I may be in harm’s way? God has provided me with an opportunity to help make a difference in a personal and powerful way in the lives of people who have never had the opportunities my country has offered to me or experienced the blessings my God has given me. That is an offer that is too good to refuse.

As a follower of Christ, it is my duty and my desire to bring relief and a message of hope and redemption to those in need, just as hope and redemption were offered to me in my lowest moments. When I return from this mission trip -- whether it be back at the Physical Therapy Clinic or to prepare for another adventure in ministry -- the experiences I gain will change me for the better and equip me for the next chapter of service.

Until then, my path for the next year is clear.

I am embarking on an adventure - one that will be physically challenging and at times heart-wrenching, but that is the most valuable thing. The World Race is about saying “yes” to the call to bring aid and the hope of spiritual freedom to those who hunger for it.

To that, I say “Here I am. Send me.”

If you would like to learn more and stay updated with stories from my travels over the next year and a half, or if you would like to help me reach my fundraising goal please contact me for how you can help!

Love well,

AP