With less than 20 days until launch (bahhh!) I thought I would write a blog to give a deeper look into where I will be going next year and the heart behind the route. 

The World Race offers a variety of routes to choose from focusing on different countries and parts of the world. The route I will be going on is called Expedition.

At first it was the countries that drew me to this specific route. India has been on my heart for a few years now and I was excited to see it on the list. And Australia has been on my travel bucket list so that was a plus. Then to add China, Spain, and Morocco it was an obvious first choice for me. But I realized I couldn't make this kind of decision specifically based in countries. I spent time praying over it and asking God to lead. So when He kept bringing me back to the Expedition route I knew He was calling me to it.

This route is more challenging spiritually and physically than traditional routes, and it is centered on an area known as the 10/40 window. This refers to countries located between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude and is home to the most unreached people groups in the world. This means they have never heard the gospel message or the name of Jesus. 

The red dots represent people groups that have had little to no interaction with the gospel.

When I first heard the term 10/40 window I didn't know what it meant. That obviously led me to Google, where I came across the Joshua Project website. They have a wonderful and detailed explanation here if you want more information. 

My team will be going into these countries with the specific purpose of meeting the people, building relationships with them, and sharing the gospel. We are bringing the name of Jesus into dark and dangerous places where they need it most. At training camp one of the speakers talked about the 10/40 window and God placed a passion in my heart to go and bring His good news to these people who haven't heard it. 

Below is a video about an Expedition route for next August, but my route is very similar. It gives the heart behind this route and their need for the Savior. It also makes me very excited every time I watch it!