Here is my story…
God has been calling me to the mission field for over ten years! Somehow it never worked out, until now. Looking back at it now, God taught me something through the disappointments of missing each trip I attempted to go on.
It started in high school. My freshman year I transferred to a Christian school a few months into the school year and I missed the deadline to go with the school to South America by a week. God was teaching me patience.
There were other opportunities through high school and college to go on mission trips and each time I spoke to my family about it, my father always said the same things, “Those trips are not for people like us. You would not like it. We will send money. It is too dangerous. You are not cut out for that kind of thing. They don’t stay in nice hotels, you know.” God was teaching me to rise above ridicule (no matter who it came from) and do the things He calls us to do.
Surprisingly, in 2007 my dad, of all people, told me about a trip my old church was going on. He spoke with the leader and they told him we would be working with missionaries’ families and leading VBS for their children. They promised him zero danger so he encouraged me to go. I was not thrilled about the idea, but I figured it may be the only opportunity I would have, especially, because my dad was encouraging me to go and offering to pay for it. A few days before we had to make our final commitment I backed out because my family was going through terrible financial hardships and I knew my dad would feel obligated to pay. God was teaching me to follow His calling, not other people’s plan for my life.
Finally …
A friend of mine went on a trip with AIM (Adventures In Missions) about 5 years ago and while I was bored at work one day, I decided to check out the website. When I got to the page I saw the ad for the World Race and was mesmerized by the blogs. I started reading the blogs 24/7 and wondered if I could handle something like that. After all the doubts my father had put in my head for so many years, I feared I could not. I read the blogs for several weeks before I had enough courage to speak to my mom about the trip. She told me to go for it if I thought I could handle it.
I prayed about it for several months and one day the Lord called me to the January 2010 race. At that time there were four other races available to go on and you could even see the routes, but January 2010 was so far out at that time the route was not posted. I never contacted AIM, but I knew in my heart I was going.
From that day on I started making plans in my life around this trip. When I leased my car I made sure the lease would be up in time for my departure. The night I met my boyfriend (11 months ago), I told him I really wanted to go on this trip around the world and told him if he wanted to date me he would have to wait for me. He agreed and we are going strong!
A few months later the devil started putting doubt in my head. As Eric (my bf), and I became more serious I began to think, I have a great thing here why the heck am I going to leave this for a year? God will send someone else. Additionally, as I began to tell my friends and especially my dad about the trip, tremendous doubt and negativity followed. They told me I could not handle it. That my lifestyle was not conducive to a year long mission trip and my personal favorite “come on Angela, it is not Chanel sunglasses at the Ritz.”
I had all but given up on my dream of the world race by February 2009 when I went to Egypt with my alma mater. When I left, I knew I had to make some difficult decisions by the time I got back concerning my job and future. After asking all my professors and friends for their insight, and gaining no clarity, I called out to God for the answers. I begged Him to show me His will for my life because I had been following my own for so long.
While in Egypt, the God of the Universe spoke to me like never before. I fell in love with the people and the country. He told me I could live here. I could help people in 3rd world countries. I was nor better than them. I could make a difference. He told me to apply for the World Race and I did as soon as I got home. At that point, the race route had been posted, but I still had not looked at it. I made a commitment to God that I would go where he sent me, and I would not look at the route until after I sent in my application.
