Former EHS athlete running World Race

In a little village called Rassvet, a former Enterprise High School athlete is running a race.

The race Neysa Hernandez is participating in is not a normal one.

In this race, Hernandez isn't flying toward finish lines. She's crossing countries and continents.

The former Lady Cat volleyball player is on a mission trip known as The World Race. 

"The World Race is essentially a mission trip to go and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to 11 countries in 11 months," Hernandez said in an email. "We live out of a backpack all year and work with orphanages, kids' camps, homeless shelters, sports ministries, victims of sex trafficking, and any other place where we can be of use. Ultimately, we just want to bring the love and hope of Jesus to the nations in any way possible."

The trip has afforded Hernandez and her World Race teammates the opportunity to visit Ireland and the Ukraine, which became the EHS graduate's favorite part of the trip so far.

"My month in Ukraine was really special," she said. "We stayed with an incredible host family that ran eyeglass clinics and softball camps throughout the summer, and we used this as a means to talk about God every day. We also became very close with a lot of the locals there and formed some good, lifelong friendships. I also did a few things that my mom might not approve of, like cliff jumping and playing with stray dogs every other day."

Despite all the good generated during the first two months of the trip, living abroad hasn't been easy.

"The hardest part of the trip has been adjusting to living in close community with my teammates at all times," Hernandez said. "We're always accountable to each other and we're always expected to call each other up to higher standards, even when it's hard to hear the truth sometimes."

Accountability is one area in which Hernandez leans on her past experience in sports.

"My athletic career has absolutely helped on this trip," she said. "Having been on so many different sports teams where you're pretty much forced to get along has definitely helped me to work through differences that I may have with my World Race teammates. It's also taught me a lot about when I need to be a leader and when I need to step back a little bit and be a follower. I find myself using sports analogies all the times on this trip."

For the rest of this month, the former Lady Cat's team is in the European country of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is located within the boundaries of the former U.S.S.R. and had a population of more than 3 million in 2004, according to moldova.org.

"Here in Moldova, I would like to do whatever we can to restore some hope to the people here," Hernandez said. "It is the poorest country in Europe, and has lost 50 percent of its population in the last 10 years. We want them to realize there is still hope of a bountiful spiritual life in Jesus."

The World Race teammates will spend the rest of this month in Moldova before venturing to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, but specific deadlines have to be met in order for Hernandez to continue to serve in the mission field.

She needs $3,100 by Oct. 1, and $7,500 by the first day of next year.

Those interested in helping Hernandez reach her goal of 11 countries in 11 months can donate by visiting her blog online at neysahernandez.theworldrace.org or email her at  [email protected].

For more information about The World Race, visit theworldrace.org.

For Hernandez, the trip is about more than traveling throughout the globe. It's about reaching out to others.

"It always brings a special joy to my heart when I know that I've gained someone's trust," she said. "People here are all about relationships so once the locals understand that all you want to do is love on them, they are willing to give so much love in return. It's special moments like these that God opens up hearts and reveals His plans for their lives."

The mission trip has made those moments possible for Hernandez, her teammates and the people whose lives they have impacted.

When she leaves Rassvet at the end of the month, Hernandez hopes to make more memories, reach more people across more countries and continents and finish the race she set out to run.