Ah, yes, the long-awaited, much anticipated “part two” blog. The blog where I tell you how AMAZING God is and how He is leading me and guiding me so directly into the next chapter of my life. If you read “part one” then you know that the Lord revealed to me in BIG ways my heart for youth and my heart for using missions to reestablish and renew relationships between individuals and Christ.
For the last few months since writing that post I have been praying very intentionally about the next season. I knew I wanted to work in some way with youth, I wanted to be immersed in Christian community, I wanted to live somewhere new and still be able to travel, and I wanted to have an opportunity for more discipleship/ leadership training. I prayed A LOT and am still praying so that I can be sure that these wants are, in fact, from the Lord and not of my flesh and I am feeling confident that these all align with God’s plan for my future. I think I will go so far as to say that I have even received some confirmation that these things are not only things that I desire for myself, but also things that the Lord wants for me!
When I was living in Bulgaria way back in October an organization called LeaderTreks hopped on my radar that I immediately had interest in pursuing. I had reached out briefly, been informed that the position I was interested in was entirely support-raised, and every part of me kindly said “no thank you”. I was still fundraising for the WR at this point in time and could not even imagine entering another season of raising support. It is safe to say my heart was very hard to even the thought of this.
Then I did a Bible Study of Hebrews in Laos in April with my friend Savannah and we read all about how God calls us to be faithful and promises us rest in doing so. One specific passage that spoke clearly to me is found in Hebrews 4:7, “Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”. Like I said before my heart was so hard to the idea of raising any more money for myself that I thought I had completely shut the door to the idea of another ministry-oriented support raised role… Well, if you know the book of Hebrews then you know it is ALL ABOUT FAITH. Sav and I picked apart this book and the words we read picked at the shell around my heart piece by piece. I wrestled with surrendering my fleshly pride to God’s will and heavenly promises. I thought to myself: I have a college degree, I am fully capable of finding full-time employment and earning a decent living, I do not want to depend on anyone else anymore… ding ding **cue the lightbulb** God knows I need to do this all over again because I clearly did not learn my lesson fully the first time. He WILL take care of me, He WILL provide for me, and He WILL NOT let me fall. If I have full faith in Him why would I hesitate for one second more about this opportunity!?
One more month of prayer and then when I was in Cambodia I finally sent in an application for the position of my dreams.
The job is specifically designed for young adults and recent college graduates. It entails 16 weeks of intensive Leadership training, 12-15 weeks a year of leading mission and wilderness trips, 3-5 weekends of facilitating retreats for youth groups and Christian schools, and all of the time in between working on the administrative side of things at base outside of Chicago alongside of the rest of the Summit Team and essential full-time staff members of the organization.
“It is a two-year position for individuals who are looking to further the mission of developing the next generation of leaders. At LeaderTreks Youth Ministry, the mission is to develop leaders to fulfill the Great Commission. They want to make students into leaders who will impact the world for Christ. To do this, they put students in the classroom of mission and wilderness trips where students can make decisions and live with the consequences of those decisions.”
I was surprised at how quickly the ball began rolling and we had already scheduled a phone interview within the first few days of me even applying. Then there was another phone interview and then a video interview all within about two weeks time. All at about ten o’clock at night with minimal lighting and a fan blowing directly onto me because it was probably 95 degrees inside and also because [disclaimer] I sweat a lot when I am nervous…
Then time just had to pass and I had even more of an opportunity to invite the Lord into this decision making process as I was informed the next step really had to involve meeting face-to-face. At this point in time I had about 5 weeks left on the field and with each passing day The Lord gave me more and more peace that this is exactly where he was leading me. So, after spending a few fun-filled days in California reuniting with my sister I was able to spend one day in Illinois at LeaderTreks familiarizing myself a little bit more with the staff and location. Let me tell you, everything felt right.
What does this mean?
I will be moving to Illinois at the beginning of September!
I am looking for a place to live around the Wheaton, Illinois area.
I will be support-raising my salary for the next two years and I have full faith that only with God’s help will this be possible.
I would love to ask for your prayers during this time of transition and extended reliance on the Lord to provide for me completely financially. Please help me to pray about finding a great place to live and a great church to plug into once I make my move.
Again, I would by no means be where I am today without all of your love and support. I am regretful to think that you may never know how much this journey and the role that you have played in it have meant to me. Being home is fantastic, but I know that God only wants me here for this small season and then He has big plans for me. I cannot wait to begin working with LeaderTreks and sharing all that Christ has done in my life with students from across the nation. I can only hope and pray that I will have your continued support in the future and I would like you to consider this as your formal invitation to join me for this new experience.
