“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -Acts 1:8
I have heard and read this verse so many times, but it wasn’t until recently that I knew quite how literally it would be applied to my life.
Beginning this July, I will literally be Christ’s witness to the ends of the earth. Whoa, crazy. Somebody pinch me.
Of course, this does not make me any more special than anyone else. Not everyone is called to travel overseas or jump from plane to plane to different countries. Nah, God in his awesome and mysterious fashion calls each of his followers to serve in different places and in different ways—whether that be a hop, a skip, and a jump or a leaping bound away—but always for the same purpose: to be his witness and to spread the good news of his son, Jesus Christ. And the crazy awesome part is that God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can do this!
I often wonder what led me to this place where I am now—where I am faced with the future reality of four different continents—but I think my love for the global church really began on the small Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
I was incredibly blessed to spend a chunk of the past two summers in this beautiful country serving alongside some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. But the thing I loved most was one week this past summer living with an amazing and generous family in St. Vincent—experiencing their culture and just living with them.
Through these experiences, I learned that the true beauty of missions is not merely going somewhere for a week, doing some things for some people, seeing some tourist attractions, and taking off. No, the beauty of missions is being enriched by someone else’s perspective. It’s growing in Christ together. It’s building relationships. It’s expanding God’s kingdom.
The beauty of missions is serving and strengthening one another, and ultimately strengthening the global church.
And so God has placed a special love for the world on my heart. And I am crazy excited to be Christ’s witness in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.
Also, announcement time…I am now selling T-shirts to raise support for my World Race!
Some bonus nuggets about the design:
I incorporated all of the continents I will be going to inside the letters. Also, I chose to reference all of Acts 1:1-11 for two reasons: 1) Because I love this entire passage and the context it sets for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and 2) Because it looks like 11n11 for 11 countries in 11 months and how fun is that??!
T-Shirts will be $17 and I am taking pre-orders right now. If you are in the Rome or Cartersville area, I can hand deliver. Otherwise, shirts can be shipped for an additional $3.
By purchasing one of these shirts, you will be supporting missions while looking pretty snazzy in the process. ;P
Message/comment/text/email me to place an order. My email address is [email protected]
Thanks! -Anna
