This is my story.
Born on the edge of the Rockies, and raised in the Lone Star state. My life has been full of love, grace, pain, confusion, and ultimately hope. Hope in something greater than myself. A hope that comes from Christ alone. Through it all I have also been blessed with family and friends who have loved me, and have shown me what it means to follow Christ. It is in big part because of them, that any of this is even possible.
As I am finishing up at Belmont University, I see that this is just the beginning of the story. I know that this journey will not be easy, and in a way I think that's the point. This “mission trip” is not about going out to save the poor people in Africa or Asia. It is not even about trying to convert anyone. For me it is about simply showing up. It is about learning how people live, worship, and love in a whole different context. I don't have all the answers or even most of them. All I can share with people is my experiences, and how I have seen God work in my life. Hopefully to show them the hope of Christ, and not just tell them who He is.
I get a sense that traveling in countries such as Uganda, Cambodia, and Moldova, I will see people living out the Gospel in ways I've never experienced. People who are living simply, and whose lives are full of grace and joy. Yet I know that in these places I will also come across people who are hurting, being abused, feeling worthless, and living in physical and/or spiritual poverty. So I hope to be open enough to meet people where they are, and share life with them. That may be telling them about the love of Christ, or that may be just listening to their story.
