Luke Geldmacher from Queenstown is embarking on an 11-month, 11-country mission trip. The World Race mission is simple: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, cleansing the unclean and loving the outcast. The World Race challenges participants to have a life-changing experience that affects how they live their lives.

The first World Race began in 2006 with a group of 22 people. Making their way through the world, they knocked on doors and slept in streets. The World Race has grown and expanded, and today participants are divided into groups of racers, called “squads,” each with a unique country route. Squads are made up of people from the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Racers join international communities and partner with existing ministries and missionaries around the world. Racers visit ancient ruins, hike up volcanoes, swim under waterfalls and experience the vastness of the world. They trade in marketplaces, befriend people caught in modern-day slavery and strengthen local church bodies.

Racers dedicate eleven months to helping others and to experiencing life in other countries. Luke is part of Squad W and planning to travel to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, Nepal, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa. He is the only person from Maryland on Squad W.

Luke is working hard to raise the $15,500 it takes to go on this amazing journey. Please visit the World Race’s main webpage at www.worldrace.org to learn more about this journey. Luke also has his own blog on the World Race web site at http://lukegeldmacher.theworldrace.org/. If you are interested in helping Luke, you can reach him at geldmacher.luke@gmail.com or by calling 410-490-2023.