I’m back!
Guys, I…..am thinking the same thing you are. Let me explain…
Oh, and welcome back to halliemoffitt.theworldrace…been a few years.
I went on the world race gap year when I was freshly 18 (2018-2019). I spent that year of my life with gap Q in corners of the world I didn’t even know existed. I loved it! I really really did. But, as all good things do, the World Race ended and I went to college to pursue a degree for a passion that the Lord revealed to me during the race…counseling.
Since then, in the past 3 years, I’ve lived so much beautiful life that has shaped me in ways the world race never could have. I’ve learned about bravery and boldness and friendship and grief… as well as how to run a t-test on SPSS and how to incorporate counseling theory into practice. All great things that I am so thankful to have learned. However, despite being three years out and getting a whole college degree in the meantime, the World Race is something that I have never forgotten about. Still present in the forefront of my memory, that year of my life stands out as the most impactful year of my life to date.
I have lots of theories on why this year was impactful to me. 18 usually is. At 18 you are young and independent and brave and want to take on the world in a new and brilliant way, and many of us do through a multitude of avenues. However, none better than the other, all unique.
Wrgy allowed me to take a step into independence to learn who I was. Beautiful as well as ugly parts of me were revealed within the loving community that I still call family, gap Q. The Lord used that community to change me. Since then, I have been captivated by the idea of community. What makes it good? Bad? What are differences between all of the forms of community I have experienced? The common denominators? The outliers? I’ve asked all of these questions and I don’t have all of the answers, just the curiosity to keep on asking them. However, one thing I do know is that community has made Jesus tangible to me. It’s John 13:35
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
It’s the church. It’s community. It’s discipleship. It’s simply loving one another because that’s what Jesus would do. Simple. But also not simple, I could talk to you about it for hours if you just asked.
Anyways, community & discipleship. Areas in which the Lord has placed wisdom and passion within me. Got it. The World Race. A place where the Lord met me as a child and took me by the hand. Okay yeah. Got it. So why are we back on the halliemoffitt.theworldrace blog 3 years later. Great question. One I am asking too. let me explain….I’m trying to be fast
So, here I am, I have a degree and a decision to make. Crossroads like this terrify me in the best and worst ways. So, at the start of my senior year of college, my prayers were fervent. “Lord, I will go wherever you want me to go post-grad, I just need a plan. I can’t graduate college with no plan…also if you want me to go to grad school I don’t want to take the GRE…oh and I hope you take me somewhere fun” in response to this, the Lord asked me to dream.
Background on me…I don’t like…..do that… (: I’m very present-minded. future and past thinking are hard for me. Anyways. The Lord said dream. I rolled my eyes and stared at the wall and tried to dream, but I didn’t. However, when the Lord tells you to do something…He really does want you to do it. So, a few weeks later I was sitting with my friend who also did the race 2018-2019 (shoutout Grace Digioia) and told her the only dream I could think of for postgrad… squad leading.
This surprised me and terrified me, but after an hour of talking about it with grace I texted my squad mentor Jodi (shoutout to Jodi Owens) and told her my dreams and asked her to shut it down if it wasn’t possible. Well…she said it was extremely possible and sent me the application a week later.
During the process in which my application was being processed and I was being interviewed, I remember telling people that I hoped my application was lost. They didn’t believe me. I believed every word I was speaking. I knew that if this door was opened, the Lord was giving me full permission to walk through it. But, in giving a “yes” to squad leading, I was giving my “no” to other opportunities that I was equally as excited and passionate about. These were opportunities to use my degree, start my adult life, and dive deeper into the career dreams I have worked towards in college and am honestly very excited about. These options also weren’t “controversial” and “made sense.”
If you’re reading this, I said yes to squad leading after months of careful prayer and seeking wisdom from those I trust, ultimately making the decision to walk through this door and in doing so, temporarily closing the others. It was hard, but I am confident in my decision.
So, why did I make it?
As I stated above, the World Race remains one of the most influential parts of my life. One, because the World Race is an incredibly shaping program, but two, because of the posture in which I went into the Race. I went into my gap year tender, eager, and….ignorant. Honestly. I didn’t know much…I still don’t know much, but what I do know is that being that tender and moldable can either lead to great growth or great destruction. Seeds of lies or truth can be sown. The soil is rich.
I want to squad lead because I desire to see truth sown. I cannot claim that my squad will be absent of lies, we all believe a plethora of them, but I pray that lies will be easier to discern and in that be removed and covered in truth. I am not the source of truth, but my Father is. I cannot speak to my capabilities but His. I am honored that He has put a gap squad in my path to lead. I am humbled and honored to be able to lead and disciple the young adults who are about to bring the next wave of change into their universities and the American church. I feel unworthy of this honor, but I think that’s a good place to be.
Ultimately I desire for my life to be marked by obedience and sanctification over all worldly success I can fathom. I could go on about why I am excited to be here, I feel very honored by this opportunity, and I am excited to be able to serve this gap squad and the Lord with all the time and resources I have. I’m grateful…..and very scared. This role is large but ultimately is about service, which again, is an honor.
And, for my friends and family that are not accustomed to the world race, I don’t blame you. Here’s what a squad leader is, probably should have clarified earlier hahahaha.
As a squad leader, I will be on a leadership team with a mentor (they lead the squad and squad leadership from the states, joining the squad for training and debriefs) and other squad leaders (3-4 total per squad). Squad leaders are the only form of gap year leadership that is with the squad on the field for the entire race. So, I will be with the racers of whatever squad I get placed on for their whole journey from training camp to PSL, discipling, disciplining, teaching, leading, serving, and loving them through the whole process beginning to end.
With that being said, I will be leaving for another nine months (I don’t know which countries I am going to yet) starting in August, so I will be fundraising again! Who would have thought! Not me, honestly. Lol
The entirety of squad leading costs $6,000. I am confident the Lord will provide as He always does.
If anything, I am asking for people to be praying for me and my squad throughout this process, and consider donating if the you feel led. The best way to give is directly through the fundraising bar at the top of this blog. You can also keep up to date on me by subscribing to this blog…ill try to keep this content awesome and honest as usual.
Again, thanks for everything. Peace and Love.
xoxo,
Hallie Moffitt
