The World Race - Miranda Roy

The swamp monster is coming through my skin!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." -Psalm 147 : 3

Well I'll get straight to the point...BROKENNESS SUCKS!!!

It's not fun for me to fall on my face before God and cry to the point that I could mop the floor with my own tears. It's not fun for me to re-live all of the bad memories in my life. It's not fun for me to feel all the grime and junk come up through the pores of my skin (metaphorically speaking of course). BROKENNESS IS NOT FUN....but it is needed.

It is during brokenness, when you have nothing left, that you can see God the most because you are finally out of the picture. He is your daddy...cry on his shoulder. He will gladly sweep you up into his arms and talk to you in his soft, gentle voice. To get through brokeness you HAVE to be close to God. You have to say "please God, hold my hand and walk me through this mess." He doesn't want you to go through it on your own. God doesn't use brokenness to tear you down and leave you in shambles, he breaks you so that he can finally re-mold you as He desires. God is getting rid of the gunk in your life so that there is more room for LOVE. As much as I don't want the whole world to know the gross stuff in my life I decided to share my story anyways....hopefully it can help at least one person. So here goes....

I grew up knowing God, loving God, and choosing God--until I was a junior in Highschool. That is when my party life began. Instead of choosing God I chose alcohol, sexand a worldy life. I distanced myself from God. I knew what I was doing was wrong...but I didn't want to do anything about it. I let those things in my life satisfy me...and lets be honest...it felt good to be in charge of my own life. I had a lot of "friends" and always felt like the center of attention. But being in charge of your own life doesn't ever work out for your benefit. Without letting God be in charge of your life...you are guaranteed to have a downward spiral. A lot of my "friends" betrayed me, lied to me, cheated me, etc. My way of dealing with that hurt, was to party more and "forget" the pains people had caused me.

There comes a point when pain can't be covered by more pain anymore, and that is what partying was doing. I finally decided enough was enough and began to get out of the party scene. I CRAVED God again. I had been running away for far to long. Living life on my own wasn't working...I not only wanted God but NEEDED him desperately.

Getting out of the party scene wasn't easy. People stopped calling me once they discovered I wouldn't be at the next big party. There was no one to hang out with on weekends.. because nobody wanted to skip a cool party to just- hang out. I began to realize that my popularity consisted of extream superficiality. I went from feeling like the center of attention to feeling depressingly ALONE. Because I engolfed myself in the party scene...I was no longer surrounded by christain friends and good influences. I felt as if I was on my own. I was going to have to make a choice...98% of my friends, feeling good about myself and partying it up OR God. Although God should be the obvious choice...it wasn't a concept I wanted to grasp. Choosing God meant learning how to give up "my world" and learning how to be satisfied with God. Did I want to take the path less traveled?...the path with huge boulders, roller-coaster hillsl, thorn bushes, quick sand and booby traps...HECK NO!!!! But something in my life had to change and deep down I knew that meant choosing God.

Making the right choices in my life meant even more lies and betrayals from my friends. I would be on the right track for a while, someone would stab me where it hurt the most and I would revert back to what I knew....Drinking. I didn't want to deal with the issue, so I would just push it down deep inside and "party it away", just so I could feel good in the moment. The next morning I would feel guilty about drinking and that would lead to even more pain and regret. There were times where I stayed away from alcohol for a year time and felt so close to God, but when something would happen that I just didn't want to deal with...I was right back into the party scene. This was literally a 3 year tug-o-war game in my life. I would take 3 giant steps forward and then 4 giant steps backwards. Honestly, up until a month before I applied for the World Race this was still an ongoing thing for me. Did I sign up for the World Race with wrong intentions...SURE DID!! After I was on the right track (for the 200^th time) I wanted out. Not just to another city...I wanted to get FAR away from that dark hole of a town I was living in. The World Race was a way to not
only get far away but to keep myself on the right track for good. After I got accepted I remember saying "Ok God, its you and me this year...you better show up in huge ways and teach me to hear your voice and wack me hard so that I don't come back to this nonsense ever again."

So where does that leave me now? Well, it left me plastered to the ground on my face before God, crying my eyes out. All the betrayals, lies, hurts, pains, junk and grime that I had pushed deep down inside me and "partied away" was now coming to the surface. All the emotions I didn't want to feel were bubbling up and pouring out of me. As I was sobbing on the floor I kept wondering why noone was coming up to pray for me and help me through this mess. That's when God clearly said "Hey, remember when you said its me and you this year?...well here it is...learn how to work through this with ME and not by leaning on other people." The funny thing is I had people come up to me afterwards and tell me how they wanted to come pray with me but God strongly told them not too. My teamate Lauren was the first person I saw when I looked up. She was sitting there, starting at me...a good comic relief after a good cry. She said God told her not to pray with me so instead, she just sat and waited for me to be done. As I walk through this brokeness, its not easy and its not fun, but the end result will be totally worth it. It hasn't been the fastest process but thats ok. During the up times in my life God has showed up huge. He has touched me in ways that will make me never doubt him. However, it is in the down times that he showed he will NEVER leave me or forsake me. He was always there to catch my tears and remind me of his never ending love. I am ready to be refined and made into the person God wants me to be...so that he can show up in even crazier ways than He already has. He is saying "ITS TIME!" Run to me and don't look back. Grab ahold of me and lets Go!!

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God." -Romans 12 :

starting ministry in minda's community

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We have arrived in the Philippines!!!

What a culture shock! Arriving in the Philippines was a much different experience than in New Zealand and Australia. I officialy FEEL as if I am living like a missionary. As I walk up and down the streets I see poverty everywhere. Houses are made out of whatever material they could find and are not large enough to comfortably fit a whole family. Garbage is thrown everywhere and it often smells of sewage. The temperature is HOT and HUMID. As soon as I walked out of the airplane it was as if the air was trying to suffocate me. The air is not only thick, but dirty as well. There is so much pollution that you can not even see the beautiful mountains. O...and not to mention the hundreds of flies that seem to swarm around you and stick to your sweaty legs...YUCK! Traffic here is Insanity! Riding from the airport to our contact I thought I was going to die at least 5 different times. There seems to be no road signs/lights, no speed limits, or really any road rules at all.

( This toilet was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk...Yes...EVERYONE can see you pee while walking down the street)

Besides everything I described above...I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE!! The people here are amazing. They are alwasy joyful and always friendly. The children are BEAUTIFUL and give you the biggest smiles at the smallest bit of affection you give them. Everyone is hospitable and crave to have a more personal relationship with you. Even a trip to the mall leads in deep conversations and new friendships.

A group of girls we got to minister too during a regular trip to the mall

Our first week here in the Philippines was used for a squad debrief. A time for sharing, teaching, worship and rest. God took me through a lot and I KNOW this is going to be a GOOD month. I will be writing another blog in the next couple days to explain what God is doing in my life...I promise. ( I know I havn't been the best at blogging - SORRY -- but I feel as if I'm going to have so much more to blog about this month)

Our official ministry started today! My team was one of four to stay back in Manilla where our debrief was held. We are staying at a center called YMC-lets just say its a school, orphanage, church, community builder, etc. All in one J They gave us many ministry options available that we could have a chance to do. Our team (team 12:18) decided that we were going to work with a lady named Minda and her community. We don't know exactly what this looks like right now, we just know that we want to impact her community and give them the love of Jesus. Children's programs, community worhsip, bible studies and feeding programs are a few things we would like to put into effect. We went into the community today and got to know the people there. I mostly played with the children and talked to the women. I loved watching the guys on our team, Matt and Caleb interact with the children. Most of the children do not have a father figure in their life. When they recieve attention from Matt and Caleb, their eyes light up and it is obvious that they crave male attention.

I felt as if I was really just trying to "soak it all in" today. As I was playing with the children I could not help but look around me and see the conditions these children were living in. It was just not a community like I have ever seen before. I kept trying to imagine myself growing up and living in a place like that. I always knew I had it good growing up in middle class America...but to have an experience like that takes it to a whole new level. You can hear all the stories you want and be told how bad other people have it compared to you...but until you experience it yourself...you really have no clue. Yet to see all the Joy and compassion everyone still has for one another touches me. They litereally have near to nothing but you would never know by their spirits. Even though my physical eyes see dirt, grime and despair...spritually, I see/feel Joy and compassion. We went back later in the day to distribue food. All of the kids came running with their bowls. As I scooped rice into each child's dish I just kept thinking please God help this food not to run out because I will not be able to turn anyone away. Thank the Lord we had just enough to feed those who came! I learned that they take food to that specific community every Monday, but it is ususally the only GOOD meal they get a week (except for the lucky few who go to school and get a meal there). I am a person who likes to eat...and who likes to eat good food and a lot of it. Not knowing where their next meal will come from or when it will be...WOW!!! I can not even imagine living like that.

Matt giving out

vitamins

<<<<<<

Giving food to a little boy

>>>>>>

Our team will be at this community 6 days a week, doing whatever we can to help this community. Please pray for us, that we will hear God's voice, help this community and make a lasting impression of God's love for them. I will be sure to keep everyone updated!!!

Stewart vs. Adam

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

As soon as I walked into Murray Lodge I could feel a spiritual oppression weigh down on me right away. This was a foreign atmosphere for me. I could see the dirt and grime with my physical eyes and the hopelessness with my spiritual eyes.

Murray Lodge is a home that provides accommodation, care, support, and supervision for people with disibilities. The people who live there varry. Some are intellectually or physically disabled while others are recovering from alcohol dependency. Some are only there because they have become to old to live safely in their own home. I found it odd to have such a wide variety of people. One minute I could be talking to someone who seemed completely sane and the next moment with someone who lived in a fantasy world.

Let me introduce you to two men I had long conversations with.

The first man is Stewart. He is a 52 year old man who has post war depression and epilepsy. His brother dropped him off there because he did not want to help take care of him. Mentally-Stewart seemed perfectly fine. Spiritually I felt like everything was alright as well. I felt like I could trust the stories he was telling me were true. So here is some of his story....

Stewart was born in Scotland and then moved to England. As a 16 year old, Stewart was very musically talented (which I got to witness as he played guitar for us). He worked for the Shakesphere theature in England and got to meet famous bands that came through to play there. He even got to use his guitar skills to play for Queen once. At age 24 he joined the Scottish army. While in boot camp he was selected to be part of the Black Watch- A special forces unit that is the toughest of the tough. After the Vietnam war, Stewart and his black watch brigade went into Vietnam to rescue P.O.W.'s In the process he has been shot 4 times. Once in the knee, ones in the side, once in the rear and one that grazed the top of his head. He said he has had to kill women and children and still has nightmares from it. He doesnt even remember how many men he has had to kill and has even killed a man with is bare hands ( by ripping out the other man's throat). They eventurally succeeded in saving 6 american P.O.W.'s . He got to meet president Nixon and recieved a purple heart. There was even a movie made about the rescue his brigade did called "Uncommon Valor." O and he has also got to fly those G-Force army planes that take off by lifting straight and go faster than the speed of sound. CRAZY. As I sat in amazement at this man's story he then started to talk about the effects it all had on him. He talked about his depression and post-war syndrome. The weight of not being able to talk to anyone about what he did or experienced becasue of the contract he signed with the Black Watch and the CIA. While in the army his wife cheated on him and then divorced him and tried to take him for all his money. While in court, Stewart got custody of their twin children but at age 12 his X-wife kidnapped the kids and ran off. It was all too much for Stewart to handle and he resorted to drugs. At one point he overdosed and was pronounced dead for 4 hours. They were able to bring him back to life where he then remained in a coma for 16 days. After the incident, Stewart cut back on drugs and decided to look for his children. It took him 12 years to find them (they were then at age 24). They wanted nothing to do with him and said that he was a murderer from being in the war and killing so many people. They has also resorted to drugs and when he tired to father them and pursuade them to do otherwise they never spoke to him again. As he was telling this story you could tell that it still weighed very heavy on his heart and he even asked if we could not talk about that part anymore. AMAZED??? I know I was when I heard his story. He was one of the most interesting men I have ever talked with. When talking about God he said that he is a believer and talks to God all the time. However, he has hopelessness and does not feel like he has any self-worth. He is also very alone and still hurting.

And then there is Adam. My talk with him was completely differnt than my conversation with Stewart. Adam lived in his own world. He believed himself to be a protector of aristocrats. He lives in a castle in Sydney and is only staying in the home for an "undercover" job that he is not aloud to tlak about. He is married to Marylin Monroe's sister, or Jennifer Aniston-depends on his story at the time. His son is the boy off the movie Richy Rich. He has flown George Bush around acting as his private pilot and will be a brittish prime minister when he turns 90. His family lives in England where they are all part of the royal family and have lots of money. When I asked him about the rings on his hands he annouced proudly that they were all for very important reasons. One was from President Obama, the other from prince william. The ring that said "ramones, NYC..Hey Ho Lets Go!" enabled him to get into the Amerian embassy. While listening to all of Adam's outrageous, yet entertaining stories, I tried to figure out where this guy was coming home. I believe he legitimately believed himself and had put himself deep into a fantasy world. Lauren and I offered to help him clean his room. While folding and hanging up his clothes he asked if we wanted to see old pictures of him. He then pulled out a magazine and showed us pictures of "himself" on every page...playing golf and rugby, modeling, swimming, acting, dancing. Lauren and I had to avoid eye contact at times so we wouldnt laugh. We then asked him if he believed that Jesus died for him. After looking at his hands for a long time he said "Nope, not for me, but for others yea." We then told him well he did becasue he loves you and he died for me AND for you. He looked puzzled and just started making up poems about the trees and clouds and how the holly spirit lived in the sky. Then he said how God gave him powers to reincarnate people just like Jacob and Joseph in the bible. When we tried to explain to him that God didnt give those powers to Jacob and Joseph he just looked even more puzzled. Even though we felt like sharing God with Adam was a hopeless cause, I hope it planted some sort of seed for him.

The conversations I had with these 2 men were like night and day but both were very enjoyable. Stewart and Adam do however have one thing in common, they NEED people to just listen to them. To treat them as human beings and sincerely care about their stories. Adam even asked why God sent us to him and thanked us for actually listening to him becasue he said most people just say he is crazy and walk away. Please continue to pray for both of these men, along with the other residents at Murray Lodge. That they are able to find hope and peace and love and Jesus.

Australian Animals

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

While other teams have been seeing kangaroos and koalas... Our teams have seen many other Australian animals. Here is a look at a few.

The Australian Opposum: Much cuter than the american opposum. He likes to come into the library/computer room and visit at night time. And yes...we have seen him hang by his tail!

This bird lives near the beach. we are not sure what it is called but it quite strange looking. They arevery friendly like sea gulls but much bigger. They will try to snatch your food if you aren't careful.

Very strange looking bird with The Noisy Miner-
feathers on top of its head found everywhere here

The famous Emu Lorikeets- Bright, colorful birds

that are always flying around

The Kookaburra Cassowary-I never knew a bird

like this still existed. It looks like it came

straight out of jurassic park.

A sea eagle- HUGE, magnificant, beautiful bird.

SPIDERS- there are 100's of different spiders we have all seen. Some cool, most huge, all gross

Lizards- another animal that is running around everywhere. All differnt kinds but this one of the larger ones we have seen.

Some of us then decided to go to a Koala sanctuary on our day off to see some kangaroos and koalas. It was quite the fun experience!!!

Printed

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We made it into a newspaper in New Zealand!!

under the tunnels and through the mud to the waterways we go

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Image this: You jump down into a cement ditch and crawl through a long, dark tunnel. Once through you come to another dark tunnel -except this one is filled with mud, rocks and scum up to your shins. There are HUGE spiders everywhere, who- knows-what creepy crawly critters in the water/gook you are standing in, and lizards running around. Now you are given shovels, a wheelbarrow and a pick-ax and told that you are going to clear out EVERYTHING ---What do you do?

A.) Run Away really fast

B B.) Cry

C C.) Look at the person like they are crazy

D.) sing merrily while you work away at it

As must as I wanted to do options A, B and C I chose to happily sing my way through it. The people of Mitchelton, Australia have been complaining about their waterways never being cleared out. They are supposed to prevent flooding, but with all the backed up mud it is not efficient. The government has not done anything to help the matter so our team decided to take it upon ourselves to get things done.

Now I am NOT a manual labor type of person. While my family would go outside to do yard/garden work I would alwasy stay inside and do house work. Although the job seemed impossible and the mud was never ending we began to shovel. And we continued to shovel and shovel and shovel and shovel some more. We broke up the monotony by singing, playing would you rather and asking each other ridiculous questions. It was a good team boding time. I got my first blister from shoveling (actually 3 of them).

We came across some crazy big spiders and lizards. Some members on my team were not so thrilled but I enjoy studying them...especially becasue they are ones i've never seen before.

Clearing out these waterways has been a good experience for me. I enjoyed getting to know more about my team. Although it was hard work, we did a really good job at keeping it fun and had a lot of laughs. When we finally cleared one of the tunnels it was a huge accompolishment and I am proud of the work I got to do.

Round 2: Australia-Brisbane Bound

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

My travel day began in El Rancho, New Zealand on Monday night around 9pm. We got on our overnight bus to Aukland where we would spend the next 10 hours. Sleeping on a bus is impossible. I think I slept a total of 2 hours (all in 10-20 minute intervals). When we arrived in Aukland we then had to carry all of our bags (yes all 70 lbs of bags I have) and had to walk 30 minutes to a hostel...all UPHILL. I thought I was never going to make it because lets be honest...I am NOT a strong person. I was lacking sleep, had no energy and just wanted to plop down and wait for someone to come back to pick me up. Against my will, I kept on marching up that hill praying to God that he would not let me think about how bad that bag made my hips and shoulders hurt..After we got to the hostel (which someone who we had met at Soul Survivor had gracioiusly let us use for our day in Aukland) we slept for about an hour. We finally had a free day to ourselves so most of us decided to go Bungee jumping off the Aukland Bridge. This was the most amazing feeling of my life. Then our team got braughtworst and sat on the bay. It was nice to spend time having fun as a team. We had not got to spend much time together the past month because we were always doing different jobs and on different schedules. After our adventure day, we went to the airport around 7PM. We then had another sleepless night in the airport ( literally 0 hours of sleep for me).

I am now safely in Brisbane, Australia. While here we will be clearing waterways, working with the elderly and with special needs children. This was hard for me to hear at first because all of the other teams around me were being sent off to work with aboriginees or to do beach ministry. God has a purpose for us here so I am just going to have to learn to have a postive attitude and enjoy doing work that I don't usually enjoy. You knever know how God will use you in any given circumstance. I had a few words with God saying "what the heck, why are we going to be doing stuff like THAT again..isnt this supposed to be more of missions trip where we share the gospel with tribal people and heal the sick?!" After my complaining, God told me that missions isn't just about reaching out to tribes in exotic places, but its also about the "everyday" people. A positive attitude, encouragement and helping in every little way needed can be a huge blessing to anyone...not just aborigines.

my 8 year old boys

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I have been in El Rancho, New Zealand this past week working at New Whine. While here I have been the lead teacher of the 8 year old boys. This makes me feel right at home becasue prior to the world race I worked in daycare for 3 years. I only had 4 boys, Jeremy, James, Benjamen and Harley.

Jeremy: Really likes star wars and balloons. Gets upset kind of easy but can also be easily comforted. The hyper and loud one of the bunch but really smart. Speaks in very mature adult sentences. Very competitive

James: The leader of the group. Always first to give something up to someone else eevn if it means him having none. Very kind hearted and friendly.

Benjamen: Knows more about planets and astronomy and science than I do. He draws the planets exactly how they are supposed to look and even in the order they should be in. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up. He is very easygoing and I never have to tell him not to do something. I love having conversations with him because he is full of fun facts.

Harley: Has touched me the most. He was born 100% def and did not get a hearing aid until almost the age of 4.He is really hard to understand b/c his verbal skills are not where they should be plus on top of that he has the strange New Zealand accent that already sometimes makes it hard to understand. He also lives with his Grandma (who is single raising 4 other grandchildren along with Harley). At first he was shy but He has really opened up and tries to engage in many converstaions with me. I sometimes feel bad because I cannont alwasy understand him but I try my hardest to make mysel flisten as close as I can. I also try to set a really good example when he is around becasue he watches and copies everything I do...worship...listening skills, song motions. Sometimse I really have to remind myself that anyone could be watching or looking up to me so I need to watch myself at all times.

Don't look back

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I have had my share of struggles during the first 2 weeks we have been in New Zealand. First is homesickness. I have been trying to run away from my little town in Shippensburg, Pennyslvania for the past 3 years. I had finally learned to be content...I had a good job, some new friends, and a perfect boyfriend. As soon as I was satisfied, God asked me to abandon my life, pack everything into one bag and travel the world doing missions for a year. Dont get me wrong, traveling the world has its perks...seeing new landscapes, experiencing new cultures, creating new relationships...but ABANDONMENT is a hard thing to do, especially if your life had just begun to FINALLY fall in place.

I haven been batteling homesickness as it hits me in tidal waves. Sometimes I do great, other times I'm an emotional disaster...depends on the day or hour you ask me. The thought of being away for 10 more months is sometimes to much to bear. I have been doing A LOT better due to a lot of prayer and support from my group members. Besides, how blessed am I that God chose ME to be his hands and feet in 11 differnt countries!!

Now about that hands and feet of God thing...that is another struggle of mine. Sometimes I feel like I am not as "gifted" as other christains. I've never healed anyone, I'm not good at sermons (or even praying out loud for that matter), I dont have a lot of experience in prophecy and I've never even led anyone to Christ. During the Soul Survivor festival our group was working at one of the sermons talked about ability Vs. Availability. Look at the people God used in the bible.

Noah was a drunk Isaiah preached naked

Abraham was too old Jonah ran from God

Isaac was a daydreamer Naomi was a widow

Jacob was a liar Job went bankrubt

Joseph was abused John the Babtist ate bugs

Moses had a stuttering problem Peter denied Christ

Gideon was afraid The disciples fell asleep while praying

Samson was a womanizer Martha worried about everything

Rahab was a prostitute Zacchaeus was too small

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young Paul was to religious

David was a murder and had an affair The samaritan woman divorced more than once

Elijah was suicidal Lazarus was dead

I realized "you know what, the same spirit that lived in Jesus Christ lives in ME and God can use me just as well as he can use anyone else." It is not about our perceived ability but about our availibility to God. I have a calling and God WILL use me this year during the World Race. I will be part of the kingdom and a servant to God. I may not feel gifted but I AM and I know God will begin to reveal more to me as I continue this journey. It might not be an easy road and will be full of ups and downs but its the road God chose for me and I am willing to embrace that. I'm not going to look back but I"m going to look forward at what God has in store for me.

The grass is greener on the other side

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I have been in Crystal Springs Matamata, New Zealand for almost two weeks now. All of the other teams left to go to their ministry site a few days but our group along with JSL group stayed behind because our ministry didn't start right away. We will be leaving tomorrow for Fielding, NZ where we will be helping with Soul Survivor-a christian music festival that is based around teens. We will stay there for a week and then move on to Wellington where we will be helping with another music festival called New Whine. This festival is based more around families. We will be helping with everything from set up to security and tenting with the people who come to act as a "tent group leader." Although the other teams have got to move on before us we feel quite blessed to have stayed at crystal springs ministry base for a few extra days. We have helped do farm work, gardening, laundry, cabin cleaning and dishes. We got a chance to go on a few hikes during our spare time to see the BEAUTIFUL landscape of New zealand. We have got to see Green rolling hills, waterfalls, rainbows, and overlooks. Pictures can not give justice to the beauty of this country.

I am learning that my tent is actually quite enjoyable to sleep in. After being surrounded by people all day long it becomes a nice little quiet place at nightime. Although it is chaotic inside with all of my stuff spewed everywhere it is my own little space and a nice security bubble. I am also getting used to this crazy sleeping bag of mine that makes you feel like you are a mummy. I am used to sprawling out when I sleep which I can no longer do but am starting to like the security of it as well. The weather in New Zealand has been kind of weird. There is no such thing as warm summer nights here. As soon as the sun starts to go down it becomes very cold. However, as soon as the sun rises, it get real hot real fast. I also have a lot of bites on my ankles from the mean ants who live here. We have learned that there is no ozone layer here so in 10 mins of sun-we all got burnt. It has been a nice adjustment to the life of a World Racer. You couldnt ask for a better place to start than New Zealand All colors here seem more vibrant and alive. The grass REALLY is greener here in the down under country of New Zealand.

YEA YEA NEW ZEALAND

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

And the journey begins...

We are officially in New Zealand!!! All of the stories you have heard about the landscape and weather being perfect and beautiful are most certainly TRUE. Is is nice to have summer weather again. We are located in Crystal Springs, Matamata (near where the hobbit town of Lord of the Rings was filmed). It was good to be reunited with everyone again since being at training camp. We will be staying here in crystal springs until Saturday and then our teams will be shipped off to different locations to begin our ministry! Being in New Zealand is surreal. I always KNEW this day would come...where I would abandon everything and pack my life into one backpack to travel the world doing whatever God had in store for me...but I never actually THOUGHT the day would come. As I counted down the days until my launch it became more and more real. Now that I am actually here it is hard to believe that everything is begining to happen. I am sad to leave my friends and family at home but excited to see what God has in store for me.

I will not have access to internet for the next 3-7 days. I will keep everyone posted whenever I can. Please continue to keep me and my team in your prayers. We all need a lot of strength to get through these first couple weeks of being away from home. Thank you again to all the supporters who helped make this happen. I would not be here right now if it weren't for you!!

Training Camp

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

TRAINING CAMP

My story begins with throwing up on the way to the airport. I had been trying to avoid all of the sickness around me but it had caught up to me on the exact day I was to leave for training camp. I almost chose to call it quits and not go. However, I decided to tough it out . I did not know at the time what "tough it out" would really mean for me. I remained sick in the cabins for the first three days. I was frustrated, lonely and wanting my warm bed. Georgia was having a cold front and the living conditions were anything but fun-especially when your sick. We slept in 35 degree weather with only our sleeping bags. I even put socks on my hands in an effort to stay warm. The showers consisted of a hose with a power washer at the end so I only showered once in the ten days I was there. Also, I had not packed enough warm clothes with me so I think I only changed 3 times....Who would have thought Georgia could be so cold? Usually when I am sick I am still a huge baby who wants my couch, soup, television and my mom. Being away from home in these living conditions was a huge stretch for me and made me realize that I am stronger than I thought. I was also very humbled by the kindness shown to me by my squad members.

(N Squad taking a group picture before our campfire worship)

One of my favorite things about training camp was seeing everyone experience the Holy Spirit. Some have never fell on their faces crying out to God, or danced during worship, or felt the Holy Spirit fall upon them. I loved seeing everyone's lives being transformed right before my eyes. Everyone left with a new found love for God that was more intimate than when they had first arrived. I was surrounded by 120 young adults who whole-heartedly loved the Lord. We all received a "breath of fresh air" and were awakened by how much the Lord loves us back!

I am blessed to have a new family of 60 men/women on fire for God. Though we are split into teams of 6 we are all permanently in each other's hearts. It was amazing how close and comfortable we all became in 10 days time.

support

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello!

I would like to share with you an exciting new adventure taking place in my life. Since graduating high school in 2006, I have been praying very hard for direction of where to go and what to do. What should I major in if I stay in school? Should I get a full time job instead? I began feeling a pull to do ministry. I found out about The World Race from a missionary friend and my heart jumped when I began researching the program. I began to get excited as I felt God leading me in the direction of overseas missions. The World Race is a missions trip offered by Adventures In Missions. If you would like to know more about this organization you can check out their website at www.theworldrace.org.

I believe this was God's answer to my prayers and since getting accepted into the program I am feeling like my life is going in the right direction. With The World Race, I will be traveling to 11 countries in 11 months! New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Kenya, Uganda, Romania, Ukraine and two countries that are currently unknown.

During my time on the mission field I will find myself participating in many different ministries. Working in orphanages, organizing Bible schools , helping young prostitutes, cleaning toilets...only God knows exactly what I'll be doing every step of the way. I am very excited to let His plans unfold and use me in any way He wants. (even if it is cleaning out toilets :)

My desire is to not just go to church every Sunday but to actually learn how to BE the church. To show God's love through my actions and attitude. I have always had an interest in other cultures and I am humbled when I see people who have nothing still hunger for God. I have a heart for children and can't wait to share a hug with some of the orphans that I know I will be in contact with. I also look forward to seeing a change in my own relationship with God. I know He will stretch, tear, rebuild, teach and humble me. I am sure it will be a challenging adventure but I really believe it will be a rewarding one.

I earnestly ask for your prayers as I "run the race". Prayers for health and safety, prayers for strength and perseverance and most of all prayers for those who our teams will be reaching out to.

Now comes the hard part for me. I have entered into this adventure late in the year and I need to raise the finances to leave January of 2010. That is only three months away. I am selling my car to make the first deposit. However, I will need about $15,000 to cover my expenses for the year. So, I am humbly asking you to consider supporting me for this trip. (See, the Lord is humbling me already.) This money goes directly to Adventures in Missions. You could also choose to be a monthly supporter. (example: if 20 people pledge $50.00 a month that is $11,000.) Not only will you be supporting me, but through me you will be giving to the poor and needy, the fatherless and the widow. That can only make Jesus happy.

I am looking forward to meeting new people from around the world and allowing God to use me to show His love to others. I believe that through this experience He will teach me so many new things.

I have enclosed a response card and pre-addressed envelope, which invites you to share in this ministry. Please make checks payable to Adventures In Missions. Including the enclosed card will provide AIM with all necessary information. In turn, they will send you a receipt. Adventures In Missions is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donors will receive receipts for their gifts with the understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies completely at the discretion of Adventures In Missions and that the gifts are non-refundable and non-transferable, per IRS regulations. Gifts may be tax deductible; please consult a tax advisor.

Also, you may click on teh support me button and donate online.

I will be sending out further newsletters and information to those who support me in prayer and financially so you can journey with me. If you would like to talk to me or contact me, my phone numbers are 423-5945 and 377-6655.

Thank you so much.

With Love and Blessings,

Welcome!

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome To Miranda's Blog

Page

Follow Me as I go to:

New Zealand

Australia

Malaysia

Thailand

Cambodia

Kenya

Uganda

Ukraine

Romania

Subscribe to my blog so that you can follow me through this amazing adventure.

If you would like to support me on this adventure it would be greatly appreciated :-)

God Bless to all of you and please keep me in your prayers

Why I was called into the Missions Field

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

   Missions is always something that God has laid upon my heart. I love learning about other cultures and almost went to school to major in cultures. In fact, I almost went to school for a lot of things. Education, art, culture, veterenarian...you name it...I questioned it. I was attending Shippensburg University as an undeclared student when I came across the world race website. I immediatlely fell in love with the concept and began to read blogs and look at the website everyday. As much as my heart was called to the world race, was it really something I could do? Could I afford it? Could I leave my family and friends for 11 months? Could I give up all my time I had already invested in school? After much praying I decided to put my worries behind me and do what the LORD told me to do...not what the WORLD wanted me to do. As crazy as the idea sounded, the passion burned inside of me. Although I am nervous and scared to leave the comforts of my home I am also very excited to see what God has in store for me and the rest of my team. I will get to experience 11 different cultures while spreading God's love and mercy to everyone around me. How Awesome is that!!!

   I have worked in daycares for 3 years now. I have a big heart for children. I love to see them grow, learn, play and imagine. I know my heart will be broken for the children of the world and it will be an honor to work with them and help in any way I can. I also have a heart for the major sex trafficing that is occuring in our world today. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that people have a business in this. If any chance arises for me to help young women get out of prostitution or saved from sex slavery I will jump on the chance to help. Go figure that the two main focuses of the World Race are orphanages and sex trafficing.

   As I go on this missions trip I know that God will work in amazing ways. I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus and let him touch these people through me. The same spirit that lives in Jesus is in me and I am ready to let him use me in miraculous ways!!

My expectations for this missions trip

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My Expectations for this missions trip

To learn how to clearly hear God's voice
To create a more intimate relationship with God
To heal the sick
To play with the orphans
To reach out to the needy and oppressed
To teach God's word
To love other's with all that I can give
To become the hands and feet of Jesus
To learn community and how important it is
To become more selfless
To build relationships with my team and all the people I come in contact with
To be put out of my comfort zone all the time
To become frustrated at times and learn how to work through my fears and hard times
To want my bed
To really want american food and a hot shower
To experience a bunch of different cultures and learn how to adapt to each one differently
To be humbled by the poor
To experience a great adventure
To become home sick at times