“And then he told them, Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” Mark 16:15
I think I first became a missionary when I was in kindergarten. When I got home from school I would go visit my next-door neighbors, who had emigrated from Russia and tell them Bible stories that I had learned in school. The idea that people on the other side of the world could live their whole lives without hearing the name of Jesus shocked me.
Growing up, my mom would read stories of missionaries to my little sister and I during our morning devotions. Listening to stories about Jim and Elizabeth Eliot, Amy Carmichael, David Livingston, and so many others inspired me. These men and women became my heroes. They were brave, adventurous, and changed the lives of many by daring to go and bring the gospel to some of the places in the world that needed it the most.
After reading about it for so long, the desire to go on a mission trip took root in my early teen years. I waited and waited and prayed for an opportunity to go and finally at the age of 16, I went on my first mission trip to Costa Rica.
That trip changed my life. My world was expanded in a way that would shape me for the rest of my life. I met people who walked five hours just to attend a church service and people who sacrificed what little they had just to feed us a meal. I also met missionaries who have dedicated their lives to live in the mountains among an unreached people group and translate the Bible into their language.
When I returned home from that trip, my normal life suddenly seemed very small. The next year, I returned to Costa Rica for another mission trip. Fast forward through the end of high school, a one-year ministry internship and two years of college. A friend told me about the World Race. I had never heard of anything like it. After almost two years of thinking, praying, and blog stalking, I finally decided the World Race was what I wanted to do.
This past April, I was fortunate enough to go on a mission trip to Swaziland, Africa. It was an incredible journey that again solidified my desire to spend some extensive time on the mission field. I have been on several short term trips and I am excited about going on the World Race since it will really be a taste of what full time missions could look like.
I can’t wait to begin my journey!
If you want to read more about my time in Swaziland, click here.
