My grandmother was the most precious, strong, Godly woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She always put others first and basically just lit up a room when she walked in.
She was so adorable
One year, she decided to go on a mission trip to Cambodia with an organization called People for Care and Learning. At the time, I didn't understand a whole lot about what it meant to go on a mission trip, and I definitely didn't even know the country of Cambodia even existed. I just knew I was really going to miss my grandmother while she was gone for two weeks (I saw her almost everyday). She came back absolutely in love with the Cambodian people. She showed us pictures of smiling babies and dirt roads and ancient temples. She taught us a song in Khmer, which is the native language in Cambodia, and told stories of the people she met. She was even applying to teach English there for two months that summer.
Grandmother with village kids in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
That next year, Grandmother lost her battle with breast cancer and went home to be with the Lord. My family and I were devastated. She was the glue that held our family together. She was the quintessential matriarch and none of us could imagine our lives without her. It was in the midst of grief that I felt the Lord calling me to go to Cambodia, too.
I didn't particularly want to go on this trip. I had no intentions of being a missionary or even leaving the US at all if it wasn't to go to Europe. I was worried that if I went on this trip, God was going to call me to missions. I didn't want it. I wanted to move to NYC and be on Broadway; go to NYU or Juliard and study theater. That was not God's plan, though.
In June of 2008, I headed to Cambodia. I experienced things that I never ever though I would ever experience. I always knew that poverty was a very real thing, but seeing it in person and meeting real people affected by it, hits you like a ton of bricks. I met some amazing Cambodian kids that loved on me probably more than I loved on them. I fell in love with the warmth of the Cambodian people, just like Grandmother did. By the end of the trip I knew that God wanted me in overseas missions.
Over the next four years, I went back to Cambodia on two different occassions, staying for a month each time. I made lasting relationships with people there and I think about them almost everyday. I have been praying for the past few years for God to give me a different opportunity to serve on the field more long term. I saw friends moving to serve in other countries long term, and I envied them. I wanted to pack my stuff and move to Cambodia right then. I graduated high school in 2010 and started college at Christian, mission-minded university called Lee University. I kept praying.
Right after I graduated, I went to Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. Adventures in Missions had a booth there that I visited a couple times during the conference. This is how I found out about the World Race. I looked at all the brochures and desperately wanted to be old enough to apply. I still had three years until I turned 21, so I pushed the World Race to the very back of my mind.
Fast forward a couple years to about a month ago. My friend Heather and I were out for dinner one night. We were just talking about life and what we were planning on doing in the new year. You see, we were both at a crossroads. She was talking about moving and I was talking about quitting school. She suggested that I check out the World Race. I was like, "Yeah! That would be amazing!," (I remebered looking at the brochures at Catatlyst) but then was like, "Yeah right," in my head. I knew that I couldn't do it now. I had other things to worry about, like school. That night, I went home and got on the AIM website just to look, but as I was looking over the routes, I felt the Holy Spirit say, "Apply." It was undeniable. My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. I obeyed, but I was skeptical.
A few days later, I had my interview, and expected to get the call about whether or not I was accepted in a couple weeks since Christmas was right around the corner. I got the call the next day! I had been accepted! I was elated and all doubt was removed.
I am here to tell you, when you obey God, amazing things happen, and when you take delight in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart! It may not be exactly when you WANT it, but it will be exactly when you NEED it.
"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires." -Psalms 37:4, NLT
P.S. – You guys should check out People for Care and Learning! They do some really amazing things in Cambodia! www.peopleforcare.org
