This past weekend I attended an awesome conference in Louisville, KY with an amazing group of people from my school. Global Missions Health Conference is just what it sounds like. Medical missionaries come from all over the world to unite as one, to educate, and to encourage one another in their faith. It’s pretty much like Christmas for me!
A magnetic map to show…
…where people have been and where they’re going.
While I was there, I got to meet some pretty incredible people. I met 2 missionary doctors who contracted the Ebola virus while serving and obviously survived. I met several doctors who took care of Ebola patients. I also met incredible other healthcare professionals that taught me so much about the countries we will be visiting during our Race. It was amazing!
Ebola survivor & medical missionary, Dr. Kent Brantly & his wife, Amber.
Thousands of people attended!
The best part about this trip is that God really used some of these missionaries to speak into my life and challenge me.
“The darker the place God sends you, the brighter you will shine.”
-Dr. David Thompson.
One speaker’s sermon was entitled, “End Game.” An endgame is the final stages of a game when only a few pieces are left on a board. God is inviting us to be a player in His endgame. Events that we are seeing today are all part of God’s endgame. We, as followers, need to be doing His work right until the clouds part. The World Race is allowing me to be a player in this game. Christ’s appearance is closer than ever before.
The biggest challenge of this message was when he asked the congregation this, “Will you let God use you in His endgame? Even if it means suffering for you & your family, danger & risk? Even if it means trusting God in the face of hardships?” This question made me think about my parents, my close friends, my siblings, my 3.5 beautiful nieces, and everyone that is important to me. It’s easy to think about all of the wonderful experiences that I’ll have the opportunity to experience, but it’s so hard to ponder the dangerous things. As a missionary there are going to be rough times and hard places that I come to, but thankfully my God is going with me wherever I go. He has already won the war! Holding onto this is going to be very VERY challenging at times. I cannot go down a road of unbelief, I will have faith. I will do the things I know God is calling me to do.
“For God so loved the world, that he called us to go to it.”
-Dr. David Thompson.
-Hannah Jones
