Well here we are in the airport ready to get on the plane that will take me and my squad to Lezhe, Albania. The excitement is starting to set in as we prepare mentally and emotionally to step into a part of God’s Kingdom that some of us (including me) have never encountered before. I am surrounded by my teammates and friends as we say our final goodbyes and eat our last American meal for 9 months. I am sitting here just thinking about the journey that God has taken me on in order to even get to this point. This journey has not been an easy one so far. I have realized that for about the past 3 months I have been angry with God.
I haven’t been able to truly grasp why God has called me to this.
I had everything planned out, attending Oklahoma State University in the fall getting my undergrad in biomedical sciences to then go to vet school for small animals. I wanted to move to colorado right after college to start my career and begin my life in the “real world”. Well God took that away from me.
I felt like He stole the dreams and plans that I had created for myself over the last few years.
I didn’t understand why He was doing this to me. Why was he taking away the things that made me happy. Why was He taking me away from me family and friends for almost a year with minimal contact. Why was He sending me to unsafe places in the world where I could get injured or sick. Why was he pushing me so far out of my comfort zone that I felt like I could barely breathe. I still don’t know all the answers to these questions.
But I do know that God isn’t trying to harm me or “steal” anything from me.
He isn’t taking away my happiness or my friends and family. Instead He’s leading me down a path of guidance, protection, and grace. His eyes see more than anything I could ever comprehend. He can see why I need to do this even when I can’t. He understands this is going to be really hard for me, but he will be there with me every step of the way and will protect me. He can see the friendships and community I will get from this experience where I can’t find anywhere else.
He has a plan for me.
Even though I can’t see the end of this adventure called life, He can. And He knows what’s best for me. I trust that this IS what I am supposed to be doing because it is what God called me to. Yes, it will be probably the hardest thing I will ever do, but it will also probably be the best thing I will ever do. He is holding me in the palm of His hand and is going to hold me close in security. I still don’t know WHY this is what I am supposed to be doing, but I do know that God has a bigger vision for my life than I can imagine. And I’m pretty sure His plan is going to be slightly cooler than mine 🙂
With Blessings in Christ,
Emily Platt
