Parents On Faith, Fear, And Funding A Gap Year (Part 1)

What if the bravest thing a parent can do is let go? We sit down with Jim and Judy, plus Randy and Melissa, to unpack the messy, beautiful process of releasing a son or daughter to a Global Year gap year—complete with fear, fundraising, and faith that refuses to blink. From first reactions of surrender and control to the practical questions around safety and cost, this conversation pulls no punches and offers real hope.

You’ll hear why one dad worried more about college than a year abroad, how another mom walked past empty-room photos and still chose trust, and what changed when parents visited their kids and saw confidence rooted in community. Safety becomes specific, not theoretical, as leaders, local churches, and wise boundaries turn unknowns into lived experience. The money hurdle becomes a teacher too: car washes in the rain, garage sales in blistering heat, letters to supporters—and then the unexplainable moments when a final gift lands to the dollar. These stories don’t glamorize pressure; they reveal provision and a deeper dependence that reshapes both students and parents.

By the end, the takeaway is clear: a gap year isn’t a detour from growth, it’s a catalyst. Students return with language, grit, empathy, and a clearer sense of calling. Parents return with a softer grip and stronger faith. If you’re weighing college timelines, worried about safety, or staring down a fundraising goal that feels impossible, this episode offers grounded insight and firsthand wisdom from families who’ve lived it. Listen, share it with a parent who needs courage today, and if it helps, leave a quick review so more families can find their next faithful step.

Transcript

Welcome Back And Setup

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hey friends, welcome to another episode of the Bridge the Gap Podcast. I'm Nate, and I get the pleasure of hosting this podcast for Global Year. And it's been a while. We have not released an episode in several months. And so we're excited to be back. And we are bringing you a really, really special conversation today where we got to sit down with Jim and Judy, Randy and Melissa. And these are parents of students who have taken a gap year with Global Year. And we've been wanting to have this conversation for a long time. For parents who may have kids who want to take a gap year but just struggle to release their kids. That is a really, really hard thing. And so you get to hear firsthand from parents who have gone through this and experienced it and some of the fears that they've been through and have overcome. But I think the most special part about this conversation is the faith of their kids played out and how that has impacted them as parents. So not just their kids being impacted, but this is impacting whole families. And so I'm really excited for you to hear this conversation. And if you know a parent who has kids who want to take a gap year but have struggled with this, please share this with them. I think it's going to be really impactful. And so sit back, enjoy the episode, and be blessed. We'll see you next time. Cool. Well, thank y'all

One-Word Reactions From Parents

SPEAKER_03 1:37

for being here. First off, um, you know, I think this is gonna be special uh for parents um of future students to be able to kind of uh listen to this and and hear your story and what you've experienced, um, you know, like we were talking about before. Um so we're just gonna kick off, and this is kind of our icebreaker. Um if you could just describe uh the year your student went on a gap year in one word. And whoever can start.

SPEAKER_07 2:16

For me it's surrender.

unknown 2:19

Cool.

SPEAKER_07 2:20

Just to surrender your child to do something for the Lord, it was scary.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

I think um for me the dad part was fearful. Yeah. She's out of my control. Yeah, so I would I would I wasn't happy with that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Um it was a little bit of fear because I knew it was a Muslim majority Muslim country and I just on the fear of the unknown. Um but it's probably different from from us because ours are boys. So we're like, oh yeah, we're really out of here. But yeah, I mean, seriously, it was it was still uh a little hard, but I was uh thankful that they had made the choice to do something worthy in that gap here. And I was more thankful than anything else, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

I don't know. I can't sum it up in one word. It's hard to do that. I know it is. Yeah, it's really hard to sum up in one word. Yeah, because there are so many things.

SPEAKER_03 3:28

Absolutely. What would you say, uh Judy? Like what was surrender like what did what did you feel like you had to surrender that year?

First Hearing About Global Year

SPEAKER_07 3:43

Well, um, I think and I've shared this story with so many people, but prior to her making this decision, the Lord kept pulling me back to the story of Hannah, giving her child back to the Lord. Um and as soon as she came to me, it made sense. That's why I he kept directing me to that. And, you know, just the beginning of having children and realizing that they're not yours to keep, that they're the Lord's before they're mine, and just to, you know, surrender and um stand with her in obedience to do something to glorify the Lord.

SPEAKER_04 4:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

So that's awesome. Um we'll jump in to our first question, but is when your you know, son or daughter first told you that they wanted to do a global year, um what was your honest first reaction? Which some of your words may give some of that away, but you start with you, Jim.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Um well to start with, I had no idea what global year was. Yeah. So when she explained it, and then she named off all these places that she could go to, I was like, okay with that one, okay with that one. And and then, and then um Johnny Natalie came over, and the only thing that was left was El Salvador. And I was like, I didn't have none. Yeah. That one just no, that's not, and then then we talked about the money that needed to be raised because Lane was very late in the game, uh very late in the game, if not too late.

SPEAKER_07 5:30

Um I think it was May, and they were leaving in August.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Yeah, we were like, well, we ain't gotta worry about it anyway, because she'll never raise that money by the time of then. Um and she didn't, he did. Money just fell out of the sky. So that was serious confirmation that um, yeah, it was happening. Yeah and and it was him, not just her.

SPEAKER_04 5:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

What about you?

SPEAKER_07 5:57

I think it was the same thing. We both kind of giggled and we thought, this is sweet, she wants to do this, but we didn't have the money, and we're like, there's no way she can raise that money. I remember we took her to lunch, and at lunch, we made very clear we we can't pay for this. So if it happens, it's gonna have to be your efforts and the Lord's provisions. And um, and I at that moment, the Lord must have giggled in heaven because he knew exactly what he was about to do.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

But we were trying to cushion her to soften the blow that you weren't gonna be able to do it. We got five kids, it's like we can't we can't do this. So you know if it we're yeah, we're on board as long as you can raise it. And yeah. And then she raised it, and then we still had to guess, we still had to question ourselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

We're gonna get to talk about cost and money a little bit too. But Randy and Melissa, what what was y'all's first honest reaction when you're when Sam said I'm gonna do a gap year.

College Expectations Versus Gap Year

SPEAKER_02 7:05

Um I was relieved. I didn't want him to go to college necessarily. I didn't want him just just uh floundering in the water, so I was I was more relieved than anything. It wasn't um I was a little nervous because uh where he was decided he wanted to go.

SPEAKER_04 7:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

I was confident in global year and that's gonna send him to some war zone or something. So I I yeah, my I didn't really have that many fears. I was just more relieved that he was gonna do something good with his year out of high school. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Yeah. For me, I was kind of like Jim, I was like, what is global year? Yeah, like what is this? Um but when kind of he explained what it was, and um it was then kind of the fear kicked in a little bit, but but like Randy said, I realized they're not gonna send him to some like war-torn country or something. It's probably gonna be relatively safe. But there's still that fear of the unknown of like he's 18 and he's in a foreign country, and what if something happens and I'm not there? And yeah, so it's a lot of surrendering to God of um, okay, God, he's he's yours because I obviously I'm not gonna he's not gonna be 50 and I'm still taking care of him. So at some point I'm gonna have to give him over to God. Yeah, but yes, it was a lot of surrender. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

That's a big piece. Yes. Well, something you said, Randy, just the you know, about him going to college and not what what was that like expectation or like you not wanting him to go out into the like I'm just curious about you know why you feel that way.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Uh I just don't have a a real good opinion of colleges now in our our country in this day and age. Um I've seen way too many people, good Christian kids go to college and come back. Um no not Christians at all. Yeah, yeah, I just did I don't I never wanted that to happen. And when he told me what he was planning on doing, I was thankful that that wasn't going to happen.

SPEAKER_04 9:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

Um and it's it's interesting because like a lot of parents, it's like the opposite. Yeah. You know, the expectation is college, so it's like when their kids are like, hey, I'm gonna go do a gap year, it's like, you know, we were just talking about a student earlier who was gonna go be a college athlete and ended up going on a gap year instead. And there was a lot of tension in that, you know. Um her kind of surrendering that and saying, I want to do this, you know. And she's found a lot of purpose and meaning now through this whole process, you know,

Biggest Fears Before Departure

SPEAKER_03 9:39

which is pretty amazing. Um what was your biggest fear, which you know we've touched on a little bit, but what was the fear before they left?

SPEAKER_00 9:54

I probably Judy handed her over to the Lord before I did. Yeah. Yeah. I was online looking for satellite phones, yeah, so I could get in touch with her at any time I needed to. Yeah. Um, then realizing that if I did get in touch with her and if she did need me, there's no way I could help her. Yeah. You know. So um it was um it probably wasn't um I wasn't settled until after we came back. We went to see her just after uh Christmas. And once I saw where she was and who she was with, I was fine. Yeah. Absolutely fine. Yeah. I had rather her Lane had been on a on a so-called mission trip, I guess you might want to say, every summer since what, the eighth grade? She went she went somewhere since the eighth grade. I mean, she'd been in Vegas, she'd been in uh West Virginia. I had rather her be in El Salvador than Vegas. Yeah. You know? So that that was where and where she was, yeah, and under the the guidance of of Mario and um Sylvia and Sylvia, yeah. Once we found that, we're fine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

What about you guys? What was the what was the biggest fear involved?

SPEAKER_02 11:16

Um me it was just uh and it my fears were allayed once I went and visited him in India last year. But before that, I just had no idea anything about the country at all. I just knew it was the largest Muslim country in the world, and for me that was put up red flags everywhere. Yeah. Um so that was my biggest fear. But um once I saw where he was and the country and how that wasn't anything like what I thought it I had imagined it to be. Um I I didn't have any fears. Um saw the the community they had over there and was uh put at ease for the people that they were around and were leading them.

SPEAKER_04 11:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

There's so much to you know, I'm a parent of young kids. And it's like there's in this process, it seems like there's so much to let go of to release, you know. When you're releasing your

Safety Concerns And Finding Peace

SPEAKER_03 12:18

kid into the world, it's not just like okay, they're going, but there's so much inside of us as parents, it's like you've spent a lot of your life protecting them, and and it's a big moment of kind of just releasing them. And I think there's a there's fears that come with that, you know. Um when it comes to safety, did y'all have any concerns? How did you wrestle with safety and um what ultimately gave you peace in that process? Maybe there was no concerns, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

I'm a control freak. So you know that's that's just that's just what I am, who I am. So yeah, it was difficult. Um and I mean El Salvador is um cannot be the safest place. Yeah. It depends on where you go. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. When we were there, there was some Mario and Sylvia, we they were showing us some places that you know, we live here and we're born here, and we don't go there. Yeah, you know. Um, but but I guess just when we were there, just seeing um the peace that she had, because she would jump on a trolley like she was like she lived there forever. You know, and then she when we sh when she picked us up at the airport with them, she was like, Welcome to my country.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

Love that.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

And then I didn't love that. No, well, you're coming home. Yeah, yeah. When then we went over to the um to the orphanages that they went to, and she had found this little girl, and she was like, Well, I have to live here for two years before I can adopt her and take her home. Wow, yeah. So yeah, that was tough. Um, but um I guess just being able to walk around downtown and see how comfortable she was there, yeah, you know, then that that that made me more comfortable as well.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

Yeah, yeah. I imagine that would give you confidence when your kids have confidence, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 14:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:33

What about you?

SPEAKER_07 14:34

I I was gonna lean that direction too. I think that um so when she left, she was our baby girl. So she was also the last one and the only girl. So when she left, I struggled. I literally felt like I agree. I would walk through the house, look at her pictures, I'd have my quiet time on her bed. It was a sickness, I'm just telling you, it was over the top. Yeah. Um, but she was so fine and happy. Wow. And I'm like, she didn't miss us at all. You know, but she just dove right in with both feet. And, you know, I think if she would have struggled, it might have felt different. But yeah, I mean, just her piece. And um, we were really fortunate too, because the pastor and his wife in that area just, I mean, felt like they almost adopted her. I mean, they just took her in, and and that was an answered prayer that God provided, you know, people that would love her and invest in her and laugh with her, and just, you know, and and he definitely provided that for her.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Yeah. It was a God thing all the way around. Because Lane actually got injured. She was um cooking with a pressure cooker.

SPEAKER_07 15:53

I wasn't gonna share that one.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

She's she's always doing, she's always, she's off the charts, she's always doing stuff like that. So she's cooking with a pressure cooker and she took it off before time. Okay, and so it kind of popped on her. And and one of the little guys was standing next to her, and she um um guarded him, you know, kind of stood in front of him, and she got she got some she got some burns on her. Yeah, but it's just amazing. Um not only did he call her to go there, but when all that happened, I mean they had a they had a doctor that was a friend, and he was right there spot on, taking care of her. Yeah, you know, so he took care of her everywhere she went. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 16:37

Yeah, it's great. Melissa, what about what about you with safety and where what gave you peace in the process?

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Um, wow, I'll be honest, I was nervous. Yeah. Um, you know, our Sam last year going was the for the first year, first time was um and he's the oldest, so first of the children to kind of leave the nest, if that makes sense. Yeah, and um I don't know, it was just not the unknown, no not knowing what is he gonna be in danger, is his life gonna be in danger. Um, you know, a lot of that was put to rest through talking with people,

Visiting Overseas And Reassurance

SPEAKER_01 17:15

but um I yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit anxious about it. Yeah, but then I ultimately knew I just had to let go and like okay, if this is what he feels called to, I've just gotta let that go because God's calling him to this, and I'm not gonna stop that. Yeah, I can't stop that, so I'm gonna have to deal with it. Yeah, but um ultimately it was you know, once he got there, and like they said, he just fit right in. He was comfortable and he's such a people person anyway. So he had no trouble, and of course, he was with the group, but he made friends, and I was like, Oh, he's doing fine. Yeah, I'm the one over here sad about him leaving. He's loving every minute of it. So that put me at ease. Like, okay, he's doing fine, he's gonna do fine. Um, so after that I felt comfortable. So yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

Yeah, was it similar for you?

SPEAKER_02 18:11

Yeah, yeah. Um I started hearing him you pick up the language a bit, and I I uh I was assured that he's he's fitting in. He's yeah, he's uh he's starting he was starting to speak the language and uh um really fit in, and I I just my fear any fears I had were put at ease for that.

SPEAKER_03 18:36

That's great. Um coming back to the cost, uh when you saw the financial cost, obviously y'all share it a little bit. Um what did you feel though? And looking back, do you feel like it was worth it?

unknown 18:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 18:58

For sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

I had my own plans for Lane. Obviously. She was um, she wanted to go to school and be a nurse, so I thought, okay. Um, and then I thought if she did this, she would come back and you know, be fluent in Spanish. And you go as these traveling nurses go everyw anywhere she wants to, you know. Um, but it's it's kind of like Judy said, and and I I didn't release her as as quick as she did. Yeah, so I was like, okay. Um, like I just said, it's it was about what she wanted and what I wanted for her and what I could control around her. But um the fact that she has gone and how he has blessed her after the fact, uh it's it's it's that part where God can do much more with you than you can ever do yourself. Yeah. So what I had planned for her, um, he's just quadrupled that already. Yeah, he's got bigger plans, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

What about you guys?

SPEAKER_01 20:07

The cost?

SPEAKER_02 20:08

Yeah. Oh I kind of like oh Jim, I when Sam, I I got this. Oh my goodness, how are you gonna do this? And then he told me how much is this gonna cost? He said $15,000. To myself, I was thinking, you know, you'll know he's never gonna read that. There's no way. So yeah, I'll just yeah, this is nice, Sam. Good yeah, we'll see. And then somehow God made it happen. And oh my goodness, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Yeah, that was the crazy thing. It's the same thing. And uh we were just like, we can't like we can help a little bit, but we can't fund this trip for you.

SPEAKER_06 20:40

This is on you.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

This is on you to to raise the and God obviously to raise the money. Um, and Sam just like took it and ran with it and did

Fundraising Shock And Provision

SPEAKER_01 20:48

letters and you know, car washes and any number of things. Um, but oh my goodness, how God came through. We couldn't believe it. Just the money that people gave, and they were so behind him. And it was just like God just handled it. And I think we he and I were both shocked, like oh yeah, the money has been raised. Like that actually happened. And because we were a little like, we don't have that much time before you need the money, and it God came through. So we were just blown away, like, okay, God clearly God wants because it was. I think one of the things we said is if God wants him to go, he's gonna have to raise, you know, help this money come in. Yeah, and it did. It's like, okay, now then step two, you know, it's it's happening, and this God wants this.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

So isn't it amazing that like this happens so often, but the raising the money, I mean, in both of y'all's, it's like the raising the money piece ends up being such a faith builder. Yes, like even for me and my with my gap here, it I it's one of the things I still talk about. Like outside of like what God did while you know, it's like

SPEAKER_06 22:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

But look what he did before I went, you know? And it feels like it's always a part of the story. It's like in and I think a part of like our students raising the funds. Yeah. And not like just someone, but it's like because it's a part of the process of like growing in your faith, looking what God can do when it feels impossible. And I mean, I had like it's it's funny because you know, obviously my dad runs the program. And you would think when I went, he's been doing this for a while, he understands that God can do what only God can do. And I had like $3,500 to raise left, and it was like right before I left. And he's like, hey, dude, what you know, you need a and I'm like, Dad, God will provide, you know. And uh, and it was so cool. A lady uh at our church, uh, I think there was a message preached about generosity and giving, and she felt led to give, and so she decided she was gonna give the remaining amount that I had left. Wow, and she ended up getting a check for that exact amount. Oh, wow. And so it's like stuff like that happens all the time. Yeah, it seems like every year, every year, every year, stuff like that happens, and um I love this piece of it because of that, because it's such a faith builder, not only for the students, but obviously for the parents, you know, to like um to be able to see that happen. Yeah. Because, you know, as parents, we become very logical. And you know, you're as a kid, I remember being an 18-year-old kid, like I trust God, you know, I know it'll happen if I want to, you know. Um, and and we do seem to grow like logical and matter of fact, you know, and it's cool to to see that happen, even for parents.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Yeah, can I just oh go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

We had a couple of of the raising the funds stories. We had we had a you mentioned car wash, we had a car wash. We had a car wash, but was it behind Arby's?

Faith Growth Through Money Stories

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Behind Arby's on 92 behind Arby's, not up front whereby I can see behind Arby's in the rain.

SPEAKER_07 24:17

For a half a day.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

For a half a day. And if I'm not mistaken, she raised a grand. Yeah. Wow. She raised a thousand dollars. Wow. And then we had a garage sale in August on the hottest day of the year, to the point to where I had put up these tents like you telegate with and fans blowing. There was not, it was a Saturday. There's not another garage sale anywhere because so hot. Yeah. Uh, and people were just coming over, picking up a book and dropping a hundred bucks in a pot and walking away. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 24:48

I've always said God made it that hot, so we'd be the only yard sale in towns. We were the only one.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

We were the only yard sale in the neighborhood, so everybody came there.

SPEAKER_07 24:58

And not only that, but when we would do the fundraiser, we would post them on social media and people began sending me messages wanting to contribute.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Wow. Yeah. Wow. And and there was, uh, I can't, I won't be able to recall this guy's name, but there was a someone from Gap Year was there. He, I guess he had gone a previous year, and and we had I think I think he's the one that pushed Lane over a thousand dollars because as we were packing up, getting ready to go, and I said something like, Well, we're just shy of a thousand, and he donated, so we're over it. Wow. And that was a kid from Gap Year. Oh, yeah. That's cool.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

That's cool. Yeah, yeah. I was just gonna say that it reminded me with Gus this year raising, because you know, same thing, raise the money. Sam had raised his money, and Gus raising it. And Gus wasn't as proactive as we would have liked to be kind of like you were saying. Um, but the faith that he taught us a lesson about faith because our son Gus, I just can't the faith he has, he kept saying, Mom, it's gonna be fine. Yeah, God is gonna bring get the money. Yeah, and I mean he was lacking quite a bit towards the end. Three thousand dollars. Three or five or something. It was a good bit. I think it was about a third, I can't remember. And um, we ended up getting a message um that the an anonymous a big anonymous donation came in. We still don't know who it was, but it literally put him just over the amount he needed. And I remember calling Gus to tell him, and he's like, Mom, I told you, I told you God was gonna come through. You didn't think I was like, I know, I know, you could tell me that because and I was like, the faith that he had literally like a week or two before. It was right before. I mean, we were coming down to the wire, and um just things like that, just out

Final Reflections On Provision

SPEAKER_01 26:45

of nowhere, just wow, yeah. So I mean, just a lesson in faith, and our kids give us that lesson too. So it was amazing.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

Yeah, it's unbelievable. Yeah, I mean, I I still take from that the faith that it instilled in me in that process, not just you know, the money, but the year. Yeah, even today, you know, like God's provision is so powerful. And um it's it's really really cool to see and hear those stories, yeah.