My name is Gus Spence. I was born and raised in the town of Fredericksburg, Texas. I'm 18 years old and I have two loving parents and three beautiful little sisters. I've always loved to travel and explore, ever since I was little. There's something about being outdoors, lost in God's creation, that doesn't just speak to me...I believe it's something that speaks to everyone. The beauty of nature, the mountains, beaches, trees, the animals, the people. God can be found in even the most remote places if you seek him out. That's where I feel closest to God, when I'm lost in his creation. A few years back I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Natal, Brazil with my church, Oakhills. We had a wonderful and God-loving team consisting of many great and Christ-like people. In Brazil, I experienced something amazing. I found myself connecting with the people there, becoming friends with many of them. I could see God working through myself and the rest of the team, and it was simply amazing. It's something I long to do again, and when I learned about the World Race, I just couldn't resist. Do any of you remember the saying 'WWJD' or 'What would Jesus do?' That's something that's always stuck with me because it's foundational to core Christian beliefs, what we base our voices and actions upon, to reflect God's image. The route that I plan on taking, the development route, focuses on children''s ministry, teaching, community outreach, manual labor, and community development, all fields that I feel strongly called to by God. The World Race is daunting, it is a call to action. It reflects God 's mission to us as Christians, to spread his word. The reason I say daunting is because God called people like Paul to take courage, to travel and help others, to call out his word in the most restricted regions. It took bravery to do. Of course, The World Race is far safer than preaching in the streets of roman-ruled Paphos in Cyprus, but it nonetheless mimics God's message to us: to get out there and tell others about him, to help others and love them, especially those that need it the most. That's what I find in the World Race, that's what I love about it so much, you can see God's purpose for us directly in it's name: 'The World Race', and he has called myself and many others to take up courage and participate. I look forward to getting out there and doing God's work!

"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us, we do this by fixing our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." -Hebrews 12:1-2