Right now I’m sitting on an airplane, slowly making my way back to Seattle.  Project Searchlight has been over for a day and my time with W squad has officially closed, and it hurts a little.  There’s a very slim chance that this number of us will be in one room ever again, yet at the same time I’m encouraged by each of my friends dreams.  I’m lucky to share a rare community with honest to goodness world changers.

Back in April, when I first heard about Project Searchlight I debated about whether or not to go.  As I understood it, the primary purpose of Project Searchlight was to help new alumni racers figure out what they should do next.  By this time I had already began pursuing Bolivia.  I already knew what my next was, so why would I need to go to a conference to try to figure that same thing out?

But something kept nagging at me.  Instead of discarding Project Searchlight I on the contrary felt like I needed to attend .  I have to admit, part of the selling point was being able to see my W squad friends together again, but there was something else, a small voice in the back of my head that was telling me to go, so I did.

Now, reflecting on the last week do I still think that I needed to go?  That it was a beneficial experience for me?  Absolutely.

Over the course of 7 days I was lucky enough to hear incredible speakers including Andrew Shearman and Seth Barnes, get valuable coaching, spend time with old and new friends and most of all, rediscover and define my kingdom dream.

So what exactly is a kingdom dream?  Well, it looks a little different for everyone, but I would say it’s a life dream, using God-given passions to bring Christ to the nations, and effectively, change the world.

My kingdom dream is best explained in terms of a story.  It started 3 years ago on a trip to Cambodia.  I had the opportunity to go out into a rural village to teach english to the children there.  These kids were hungry for education.  Their government education system was failing them and they desired so much more.

Continuing on to the World Race I encountered children almost monthly who were so vivacious, so caring and so hungry for knowledge, yet they were being failed on some level, usually pertaining to finances.  From the boys in Mozambique whose teachers would often show up to school drunk if they showed up at all, to the kids in Cambodia who spent at least 10 hours a day learning through different avenues with the hope that one day they could create better lives for their children.

So, one day, as I sat thinking about my passions and how even little old me could change the world it suddenly clicked.  My passion is for children, and moreover that they are given every opportunity possible to succeed in life.  Decent education, and moreover in my heart, extracurriculars aren’t something solely for western cultures and I’d like to do whatever I can to make a change for a group of children, however big or small.

My idea for now is to see if there would be an opening for me to create a program for the children within the community I’ll be living within in Bolivia.  A program that can supplement their education giving the children art classes, english lessons and just time to have organized fun, kind of like day camp.  I’m still in the prayer and dreaming phases.  I know God will open a door when the time is right.  I’m just so excited about all the possibilities!