We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip. Here is my story…
This whole thing started while I was in the last few months of college at Full Sail University. I was overloaded with projects and studying for test during the last little bit of school. Quite honest I was burnt out with everything I was doing. I had no passion for music anymore. Something I once loved and desired to be excellent at was now just a burden that I had to finish just so I could graduate and be done and move on. I didn’t want to talk about it and even be a part of anything that has to do with it. It was weird times and I was scared as to what I was supposed to do. Nothing felt right. But I didn’t want to admit defeat so I just pressed on.
Right in the middle of all this craziness, I was in search for what I was going to do after I graduated. Well, somehow God put on my heart to look for some mission trips online. It seemed quite random at the time, but I just started searching. It didn’t really take too long for me to find The World Race, and once I did, I was hooked to the videos instantly! That night I spent about 4 hours watching the videos and going through the pictures. I was so wrapped up in it all. The only reason I was able to pull away is because I had a lab to go to. For the next few days, I had this scary thought of, “What if?” What if I was to actually do something like that? I couldn’t quite swallow that thought. It seems too crazy and extreme. Plus I wouldn’t really be using my degree. What would my parents think? And on, and on, and on… I had so many questions. At this point, I asked God, “If this is really what you want from me, make it as obvious as possible. Keep it on my heart and don’t let it be a temporary emotion.”
It wouldn’t go away. Every time I went online, there it was. The World Race was still there. Everyone was still uploading their videos and pictures of how they were serving our God. I had first found the site sometime in September and here I was in January, still reading blogs and watching videos. It was about time to graduate I still had no job lined up. No one was hiring at all. In the back of my mind I kept thinking, “Are you sure God?”
March was now here, and I got a job on weekends working for a production company. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough work to keep me busy, so I was told of a job opening doing some drafting and engineering work at a fabrication company. Well, I took it mainly so I could earn some money while I searched for a full time job in my industry. So there I was, working 2 jobs and going home every day to my computer to see who had updates on their adventures. Even on my lunch breaks I spent my whole lunch time reading blogs! But I kept asking God, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
It started getting to the point where I was getting aggravated with it all. I was scared to move forward. I wanted change, but this was extreme! I wanted to live a life in Jesus’ footsteps, but I didn’t want the commitment. So here’s what broke me. While I was at work at my day job, I was getting trained to draw trailers because the guy who typically draws trailers was leaving for 2 months to go to Peru! So the last day of my training, I was talking to him about his mission trip to Peru and what all he will be doing. He told me about it and the stuff he had to do to prepare and things he still had to do even though he was leaving in 3 days! I could not stop thinking about The World Race the rest of the day after talking about missions. I went home, sat down at my computer, and after about 3 hours of filling out applications, I pushed the send button and off it went! Finally! I was able to put it in God’s hands. Instant relief! But at the same time, my mind was going wild! To be honest, I was quite surprised that I actually did it!
About a week later I had my interview over the phone and was accepted shortly after! It had been 7 months of constant questions and doubts. I really do need to learn to trust God more. In fact, there is so much I need to learn about God. I think that’s why I am going on this race. I feel I have never truly understood what living for him is all about. I can’t even wrap my head around what God is going to do to me on this race! My mind is boggled every time I’m reminded that I am actually doing this! It’s so surreal, but it’s truly happening!
