There’s been a lot of transition in my life lately. Transitioning from a career where I worked 80-100 hours a week, to part time job where I had free reign on my time. Selling my home in Denver, to moving into my parents house in Atlanta, to now being in Honduras without electricity and running water. Transitioning from living alone, to living with my parents, to now living with 12 beautiful women in an orphanage. I cannot thank God enough for these transitional periods that he placed in my life because if they didn’t happen, then I don’t think I would be able to appreciate the beauty in every moment.
God has unraveled so many beautiful moments since the time I decided to submit my life to this journey. I truly don’t believe that I would have been able to notice these moments if I didn’t have the transitions to realize that everything was made in His perfect timing. If I didn’t go to Atlanta to spend time with my family for six weeks before I left on the journey, then I would have never found out that my great grandmother and five of her children where missionaries. How did I not know this before?
I love how God revealed this to me. About five weeks ago I sent out an email to my extended family and then I had multiple replies from them revealing current and past missionaries in China, Honduras, Venezuela, and Sweden. It doesn’t stop there, two weeks ago my parents’ neighbors invited me to their church one Wednesday night so they could pray over me and my squad. I met them at their house that Wednesday so I could ride with them to their church. Once I walked in their home, the neighbor, Janice, asked me if I had read my great grandmother’s book. I had no clue what she was talking about. She was shocked I didn’t know about it and brought out this beautiful book that my great grandmother had written about her 45 years on the mission field. She said this was something that I had to read while I was on my trip, since I would be going through a lot of the same emotions and experiences. At that moment, I had an overwhelming feeling of, wow, I’m really meant to go on this trip.
That’s not all…we get to the church and the pastor starts asking me about my trip and what I need for prayer. Then the pastor states, like it’s not a big deal, “oh and your great grandmother used to go to this church when she was alive.” In my mind, I was like “What? So a week before I launch, God brought me to the church that my great grandmother went to…the great grandmother that was a missionary for 45 years.” I was honestly in awe of God’s goodness of how he saved this for me to find out right when I needed it.
If you ever get frustrated or don’t understand why you’re in the place of life that you’re in, take a step back and realize that there’s probably something that God wants you to learn from that experience to prepare you for something much greater in your life.
How can you help?
Please pray for this ministry and for our team.
I’m still in need of funding for the remainder of my trip…If you feel led to give please log onto: http://courtneyvlaun.theworldrace.org/?filename=bio
