Aloha! So, I’m going to 11 countries – India, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica – for 11 months beginning July 2015. You’re right, that is bananas! Part of the reason it may seem crazy is because God clearly said, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
So what would possess me to up and leave my family and friends, everything I know, to go to the mission field for almost a year when I’ve never even done a short-term mission trip before? Well, we have to back track a bit 1st. As mentioned in my previous post, Who Am I?, I thought I had my life figured out. Around March of this year I was on track to becoming the best marriage and family therapist I could be and the master’s degree was just a couple months away, but I had no idea what environment I wanted to work in, the population I’d best serve, or the geographical location I wanted to practice. I was so confused and that was very unlike me. I had no idea whatsoever. So as graduation came closer I decided that I would take the summer to rest and regroup, to just allow myself to be rather than do. And that’s exactly what I did… until early July when I began to get anxious about the next step. The summer was coming to a close and I did not have anything lined up. What was I going to do? I submitted at least 25/30 applications but only ended up with 2 interviews. One was for a job with a company that I’d worked for previously and the other was for my current job. There were things about both that I really liked, but the other company would push me toward my career goals more than the education system would. Long story short, I drove 5 hours, looked at apartments, explored the city, talked with my interviewer the day before the interview, and was very confident… but something just didn’t feel quite right about it. The Holy Spirit was pulling me away. But God, I’m already here! I’m going to this interview! Haha, I bet He laughed so hard at me! The next morning, He didn’t even let me make it to the interview. You better believe I tried soooo hard to get there, too! Finally, I said, “Alright Lord, I’m gonna try to find this place one more time but if I can’t then I’m just gonna let you win this one.” I didn’t find it. So I drove my lil happy self 5 hours all the way back to Chattanooga and ended up having the BEST conversation and worship with Jesus on the way. That same day, I accepted the offer for my current job.
Fast forward to the 3rd week of September, I had been in my current position for almost 2 months and I really liked it. Sure, it was a challenge because I’d never been in the education field before, but there was so much room for me to be able to pour into my students and love on them. On the other hand, something inside was telling me that I would not be there for very long. Since my position is part-time temporary, it will be reopened in January and I will have to reapply and interview again for the following school year. I began to pray and ask God to show me what my next move should be – stay or go somewhere else. The next week I called my dad and talked with him about it. He agreed to pray with and for me. Two hours after I got off the phone with him I got an email from Adventures in Missions. For some reason I was really drawn to it so I went to the website and researched them and stumbled across the World Race. Immediately, I was captivated and my heart literally leapt inside! #11n11… girl what are you thinking?! But I felt so drawn to it. I felt such an incredible peace about it that I knew it couldn’t be anything other than the Holy Spirit. So I called my dad back and asked him to be in prayer about the race specifically. He had his reservations but said that he would. I continued to research and pray about it for 2 more weeks until I went to a singles retreat and received much needed confirmation about it. As soon as I returned home I began the application process.
As I look back over this year, I am beginning to see how God was orchestrating things for me, especially when I felt so lost, confused, and unsure of myself. He was using those times to draw me closer to Him. He placed me in the position where I had no choice but to follow His lead. And now, here I stand, head bowed and hands raised in total surrender to Him as I prepare to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)
