After 4 months of working full time at an office job that was constantly piling on more deadlines and more responsibility without adequate training or help I was at my breaking point. In tears almost every day I was so ready to give up. At that point, the Lord opened a door. I heard of an opening at Shepherd’s Hill Farm; a Christian wilderness program for at risk teens. The opening was for a “wilderness counselor” – job description; living with and discipling a group of “troubled” teenage girls ages 14-18 living in the woods in northeast Georgia. I was offered the position after my interview and was excited about my new opportunity to invest in the lives of the girls and (with my degree in counseling/psych), to gain some experience in my field. I have also never been a very outdoorsy person, but I remember thinking, “how bad can it really be?” I had no idea what I was getting into. My first night camping in the woods was in the middle of December in 18 degree weather, and I really hate cold. I remember how overwhelmed I felt and how I kept thinking “what on earth did I sign up for? I wanted to do this?” But God knew I needed this new step so far outside of my normal routine and my comfort zone in order to hear His voice more clearly. Each shift I worked with the girls I learned more about how to connect with them, how to discipline in love, and I also learned so much about myself. I expected to invest in their lives but I couldn’t foresee just how much they would teach me. I have learned about who I am and how I live my life – what it means to be “real” with others and show Christ to them just by how I live and love. They love me back so incredibly and God has given me such a precious gift in my relationship with each one of them.
I was amazed at how just being in the woods and being stripped of all of the “comforts” and technology of home could become such a haven and such a place of rest and reliance on God. It seems so much easier to hear the voice of God when some of the things we think of as “necessities” are stripped away. When I am not tempted to spend my time on the phone, the tv, facebook or a million other distractions that I deceive myself into thinking that I “need” to spend my time doing, I find myself listening more intently to the voice of God and pursuing His heart much more fervently. I have never felt more in tune with God than I do now, and I am so grateful that He called me beyond my comfort zone so that I could walk more closely with Him.
This summer my brother went on a 2 month mission trip to Uganda and my mom spent a week ministering in Costa Rica. Also, one of the other wilderness counselors at Shepherd’s Hill is preparing to launch on the World Race in September 2010. As these people who are close to me have shared about the exciting work that God is doing in their lives and the lives of those they connected with on their respective trips/trainings, I began to think and pray. I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world so at first I began to think, “I will just save up money and take a trip somewhere I always wanted to go! This is the perfect time in my life to travel the world.” Sounded like the perfect plan to me but God started tweaking it…I kept hearing Him asking me to give Him everything – all of my dreams and plans, and yes, even my finances. He kept challenging me to use the desires that He gave me for Him and His purposes and not mine. So I changed perspectives and began looking for a ministry opportunity…I was on multiple websites multiple times searching and I kept coming up empty. I was “too old” for the youth group and college age trips, and the majority of the adult trips that I found were only one week long. I felt the Lord was leading me to do something more long term than that. My heart has always been for relationships with others and I wanted the opportunity to spend time building relationships with people wherever I ended up going. One day I was sitting at my favorite coffee shop spending time in the Word and in prayer, and as I was praying I felt the Lord prompting my heart to look at the AIM website. “Really God?” I remember thinking…”Really? I’ve been there so many times and come up empty. You’ve already said no to everything there.” But He said, “Trust Me.” So I did, and then it jumped off the page at me. “4 Countries, 4 Months: World Race Human Trafficking Edition.”
