My senior year of high school I was blessed with the opportunity to serve in Romania through R.O.C.K ministries with my mom and a couple other people from my church. While there I discovered my passion to serve and I knew that I was being called to love on others like God does me. Even though I was young and slightly naive, I knew that someday I would serve the Lord overseas. I never thought it would be this soon. I though, oh yeah I’ll go to college, graduate, get married and then maybe when I retire I’ll head back to Romania. Well, God had other plans and I am super excited for them!
Every spring break during college I chose to follow my calling and served on four seperate mission trips through Campus Ministry at GVSU. While serving in Jamaica I was overwhelmed. I saw so much hurt, yet so much hope. God was working in these deaf children’s lives and I fell in love. With the kids. The ministry. The country. God. I wanted more.
Fastforward a couple years. I was living a life of familiarity and comfort. God was tugging on my heart but I was ignoring it. Then I found myself living alone with no distractions. I couldn’t ignore God’s calling anymore. A friend of mine had mentioned the World Race to me a year ago but I had dismissed the idea. I decided to get on google and search “long term mission trips” and one of the first hits was for Adventures In Missions. I read blog after blog written by world racers and prayed. A lot. When my mom didn’t freak out at the idea of me leaving for a year I decided to apply for the World Race.
Even after being accepted I was still uncertain of whether or not I was willing to leave my family, my comforts, the familiar city, and my job. Then one night I decided to drive to the grocery store (mind you it was just across the parking lot and I always walked to it) and on my way home I heard the song, “What it Feels Like” by FHH and knew that it was God speaking directly to me.
“This may not be the road I would choose for me
But it still feels right somehow
And I have never felt you as close to me
As I do right now
So this is what it feels like to be led”
