Friends!
It’s probably about time I tell you how God has called me to missions. I grew up in a Christian family, but we lived really “safe”. We went to charter and private schools, and didn’t seem to take risks where we needed to truly trust in God 100%. When my freshman year of high school came, my family decided to take a risk. We went on a short-term, week-long mission trip to Guatemala. It rocked my world. I saw poverty; I saw brokenness; I saw thankfulness; I saw Jesus.
We served in an orphanage called Dorie’s Promise, which was an incredible experience. I fell in love with connecting with kids, their laughter, and being a servant.
One day, instead of working in the orphanage, we went to a community that is located just outside the Guatemala City Dump. I met the people who use the dump as their livelihood: sifting through mountains of trash to find pieces they can restore and sell. It wrecked me. I saw what it meant to truly rely on Jesus in everything, from food to housing to safety.
For the rest of the week, I played with kids, prayed with adults (when my Spanish skills were stronger), cried with teachers, and loved it all. It was on the plane ride back that I knew I needed to go back to Guatemala.
Less than a year later, my Guatemalan friend whom my family had grown close to told us that he was starting his own ministry called Believe Guatemala in the community outside the city dump. He needed a promotional video shot for it, so my dad and I packed up some stuff, and flew down. We taught ourselves how to use the equipment on the flight to Guatemala, and spent the trip “just winging it” to make this video. I spent the whole time with these beautiful people in the community, and I loved every second.
It was this second mission trip where I knew I was called to international ministry. God broke my heart the first time, but I didn’t feel like I was making a difference. When I went again, however, I was serving this ministry with my talents, and LOVED IT. I couldn’t get enough of missions! I went on short term mission trips to Denver, the Bahamas and Jamaica. I craved Jesus; I craved people; I craved serving; I craved missions.
