Aly Beeler is restless.

She knows there is something else she should be doing.

Seemingly, the 2008 graduate of the Troy University School of Nursing would have about all she could do already on her plate.

Her job as an emergency room nurse at Baptist South in Montgomery is demanding and far from boring. She leads an active and busy life outside the hospital, including a recent birthright trip to Israel and a medical mission trip to Honduras.

But still, there is this restlessness.

“The medical mission trip to Honduras has drawn me to a ministry overseas,” Beeler said. “I went into nursing because I wanted to be of help to people. Now, if I can combine my nursing skills with my desire to ‘do more,’ that’s what I want to do.”

Beeler began looking for ways to do more but was running into walls until she heard about the World Race.

“I heard about the World Race from a friend of a friend and then the Internet,” Beeler said. “The World Race is an 11-month, 11-country Christian service mission trip around the world. It’s an Adventures in Missions project, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of. It will be the adventure and opportunity of a lifetime.”

In June, Beeler will join about 50 squad mates and they will leave the comforts of home and embark on a great adventure – 11 months of traveling around the globe serving others and sharing the love of Jesus Christ as they go.

The journey will take the young missionaries to Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, Israel, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Thailand, Cambodia and two other countries.

The opportunities for ministry include children’s outreach, street evangelism, English classes, sports camps, church planting and discipleship.

“The group will be divided into smaller groups of five or six, and that’s how we’ll work,” Beeler said. “We’ll be on our own as we journey to the different countries.

We’ll travel in a variety of ways but primarily on buses and trains. The only things that we can carry with us are a backpack, a tent and a week’s change of clothes. So daily living will be – challenging.”

Any hardships Beeler might face will pale beside the opportunity to work the plan that God has placed in her heart.

“I’m extremely excited about this trip and slightly in shock that I have this opportunity,” she said. “There’s no doubt that this will be one of the most memorable and faith building times in my life.

“As I go, I pray for open eyes, love and faith. I trust this will be a time for God to continue to open my eyes to the reason I’m drawn to international missions and that this journey will be a life-lesson on loving. Loving other people who don’t speak my language, loving when I’m entirely out of my comfort zone and loving when there’s nothing in it for me.”

In the 11 months that she’ll be away from home, family and friends, Beeler said she will have to rely on God in ways she never has before.

The time of preparation before she leaves on the World Race will also be challenging.

The travel and living expenses for the World Race are nearly $15,000 and Beeler is working hard to raise the money.

“I’ve got several fundraisers planned but, at times, it seems like an absolutely impossible sum to reach on my own,” she said. “God has blessed me with incredible friends and family who are supporting me in prayer and are also partnering with me financially.”

Beeler is available to speak to clubs and organizations about her participation in the World Race and in other mission trips.

The address for those who would like to support Beeler as she embarks on a journey of faith is Aly Beeler, Adventures in Missions, 39 Lisa Lane, Troy, AL 36079.