This is a blog post I’ve really taken my time to process through this past couple days. Inside of it, below here, lies a big leap in trust. Faith, yes. Trust in what I cannot see. Here lies the mourning and the sobbing and the joy and the excitement and the expectancy and the wonder the Lord is bringing to fruition. How sweet He has been to me. I feel closer and closer to heaven each “yes” I say to Him, my readers.
On May 26th, one of my leaders sent out an email to my squad (Route 3), telling us that there were fifty people on our squad. The point of this email, was a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity to switch routes just a few short months before we launched for nine months.
I thought: Heck no. That is not for me. This is my squad. I’m going to Africa and that’s all I have to say about it, and it’s all I have had to say about it since I first dreamed of going to Ethiopia when I was nine.
I wrote it off and continued with my day, then a teammate of mine switched over. Not one I know particularly well yet, but I got curious.
I went back to the email and checked out the link they had sent for that specific route. Costa Rica, Romania, and Cambodia.
A spark inside of me flared.
You see, when I was first choosing my route back in July of 2020, Romania stuck out to me like nothing else. And let me tell you, I knew NOTHING about this sweet country, I didn’t even know it was in Europe.
I buried the fire this country gave me because my own desire to travel to Africa.
I could not get Romania out of my head. It kept nagging and nagging and nagging. I assure you all, I tried so hard to push down this feeling of intense longing this country gave me. A country I knew absolutely nothing about.
Every time somebody asked me what countries I was going to during this little time period, Eswatini, Costa Rica, and Thailand felt like a lie.
Then one night, a teammate of mine on Route 3, Caroline, reached out to all the girls on the squad in our group chat and asked if any of us were contemplating the switch. I finally gave in, and told her (the first person to know what I was feeling) that Romania was nagging at me.
About 2 minutes after I sent this, she told me she lives in Romania. She offered to tell me about it. I told her to tell me everything. As if I were a blind artist.
Caroline told me of the sunflower fields, the cool temperatures, cobblestone roads, little communities surrounded by the mighty dark green trees that watched over the castles and every one of the sweet sweet people who want nothing but to take care of anyone they meet.
I could no longer ignore this nagging. The Lord took me through intense praying and tugged on my heart even more. Through graduation and family events and work confusion, God worked. He would not let me forget what He is genuinely calling me towards. I prayed and I spoke with almost everyone I seek advice from.
Finally. I said yes. On June first, I said my second big yes to the Lord and this World Race.
It was the most difficult and yet the easiest most peaceful decision I’ve ever made. Hands down. This is where I’m meant to be.
After I made my decision I worked a shift, I was fine, but on my way home, listening to worship, I broke down. Ugly cried. Mourning the loss of my chance to go to Africa, but knowing that God will most likely take me there eventually, He will have me somewhere infinitely more compatible with His timing and His will, right now.
How sweet the Lord is to me.
To have my life this carefully orchestrated.
To give me the bravery and the audacity and the strength to take the leap He needs me to take.
It has never been, and will never be about where on this Earth I go.
Wherever God calls. Amirite?
I am so very excited to announce, that instead of eSwatini, Thailand, & Costa Rica, I will be going to:
Costa Rica, Romania, & Cambodia
during my 2021-2022 World Race Gap Year.
Big THANK YOU to everyone who supports me in every decision God draws me to take. Thank you all for loving me, reading, donating, and having servant hearts.
Yours,
Landry
PS. Still selling t-shirts like crazy!!! Contact through my page here, or through any platform you prefer if you’d like to know more about those
t-shirts or about anything World Race or what led me to say “yes” to my Good Lord so many times. Reach out.
Much love.
