So here I am…26 years old…ready for a new adventure…and this is my story!
Growing Up…
I grew up in a Christian family, but because my parents were divorced, I bounced around to many churches of different denominations. I was never part of one youth group and never had a strong foundation in any particular church. My family is amazing for being a "broken" family. Both of my parents are remarried to wonderful Christians who I consider my second mom and dad. My parents never involved my brother in any feuds and when we all get together for big events like birthdays and graduations, there is no hostility. God has truly blessed me with an immediate and extended family that I am extremely thankful for.
A Change is Brewing…
My life changed around my senior year in high school when I decided to start drinking alcohol and partying it up like a crazy fool. I took that lifestyle into college and for four years lived a life that I mostly hid from my family. I was a "Christian", but at the time didn't even know what that truly meant. When I graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2006, I immediately found a job at the same middle school I attended. For the next two years or so I followed the same lifestyle. I also went to church again because my parents constantly invited me, and so I went out of obligation. Attendance became even more of an obligation when the worship leader asked me to sing on the praise team! This was of course exciting, but also difficult when I would go out on Saturday night and have to wake up and sing on Sunday morning. This obligation turned into a blessing when I realized that my heart was changing and with that, my lifestyle of drinking and partying. I was saved (again) in 2008 and since then it has been a roller coaster of a walk with Christ. At that time, I had no idea how God was going to mold me and change me into the adventure craving Christian I am today.
Closing Doors…
A year ago I realized it was time for a change. God sent people in my life to encourage me to grab hold of the adventure I craved and to not be afraid to LET GO and LET GOD! In teaching me how to let go, He took people out of my life and He gave me the strength and courage to quit activities like community theatre. (Just a side note: I never thought I could live my life without theatre and I've done it now for about a year…I didn't realize how much greater life would be when I follow God's path instead of my own!) I was ready to quit teaching in the summer of 2009, but God didn't provide the opportunity to do that. So I decided to teach ONE MORE YEAR and then see what happens. God closed a few doors which did help the decision making process of "what will I do next". In May, after a lot of prayer, I made the decision to quit my job as a Middle School French teacher after 5 years of teaching in a great school. While I did like my job, it wasn't exciting anymore and I knew my passions lied somewhere other than in Lake Charles.
The Journey to the World Race…
When I quit my job, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do next. I did know it would involve travel and I knew it would involve missions. I applied for a mission opportunity through my global church and waited for a while to hear a response. It was about a month into the waiting process that I heard about the World Race and, after reading about it I applied on Sunday…set up a phone interview for Wednesday…got the acceptance call on Thursday! The same week, I heard back from the other missions opportunity, but knew that I would be going on the Race. It was like God allowed me to see what I could be doing, but also to show me something greater that would challenge me more! So I'm ready to take the LEAP OF FAITH…here I go!!!
