After graduating with honors from East Kentwood in 2009 I moved to East Lansing. I did not know what I wanted to study, I really had no clue of where I wanted to go in life. I knew that I wanted to move out of my parents house and live with more freedom. I quickly recognized and abused the freedoms of living away from home, I was not so quick to grasp the responsibilities that came with it. I was doing fine in class and thus avoiding questions and drawing negative attention from my parents. I rarely came home to visit and was spending my money foolishly while living selfishly. The human desires where really all I cared about. Needless to say I only went to church when I visited home during these two years.
Gonna pick up another book real quick.. bare with me.
My freshman year of High School I picked up a vaulting pole for the first time. Vaulting quickly become my favorite sport and I excelled quickly. I got involved in many events and camps and grew to be a part of this pole vault community in west Michigan. In the early 2000's East Kentwood had a jumped named Eric Mirendette. He was and still is one of the best vaulters in school history. If you have not heard of him he has one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard.
To paraphrase: While in college he and several friends, including his brother left the United States and traveled to Africa. Along with some mission/humanitarian work they planned to travel from South Africa to Egypt, all travel to be done on dirt bikes. This story is all told in his book The Only Road North. The story ends in a heart-breaking accident and while being too young to understand much of what he went through this book changed my life. It put a desire in me to go to Africa, a desire that never diminished.
Back to my story.
I never forgot how I was raised when I left home. I knew perfectly well of my sins, and I knew perfectly well that God wanted so much more from me. Guilt and shame where feelings I knew all too well. When I heard that Cornerstone was putting together a Kenya mission team in July 2011 I knew that I was supposed to be on that team. I was so lost at this moment of my life and I saw this moment as God extending an arm and willing to pick me up. My father felt the call and signed up for the trip along with myself.
One week from departure in July I moved home from East Lansing in the lowest state of my life. I thought I was broken, little did I know God was saving that for Kenya. This trip was my new beginning, God saved me in July of 2011 while in Kenya, Africa. Those two weeks placed a flame in my heart, a flame that has gotten stronger and stronger up to this very day.
I returned home with new life. I knew that how I felt in Africa would be the feeling I would want for the rest of my life. I continued school for another year and began to drift from God and how I felt the past summer. Cornerstone was putting together a smaller group to send back to Kenya again in July. It took me all of 3 seconds to put my name down on that list. School was a struggle to stay motivated and I had no passion searching for a career. I knew deep down that missionary work was the only thing I had ever felt truly passionately about. The thought of being a missionary scared me, having to live outside of the States and without all the "stuff" I have.
We had a team of 11 people going on this trip, all of whom had been to Kenya before. We all had a sense that God had hand picked each one of us for all different reasons. Each day I felt more and more that I could do this for the rest of my life. Love was all around me, God was speaking to me, and my heart felt more alive than ever. I joked about not coming home after our time ended, highly considered it at times.
Upon my return back home I knew that school was done for the time being. I was finally willing and ready to listen to what God had placed in my heart. I really was hoping to return to Kenya for and extended period where I would work with a non-profit called Zoe Waters. Zoe Waters was started by several people from the Kenya mission teams and partnered with World Missions. Months passed and no progress was able to be made, it was a struggle to remain patient and optimistic at this point. I realized that I was working and praying that MY plan would come true, I did not think of to pray of what God had planned.
I began to pray this HIS will be done and it was easier to accept that Kenya may not be where God wanted me. I had heard about The World Race while in Kenya but I never thought of applying until January. Since being accepted a little over a week ago I once again feel that same excitement I had while on the mission field in Kenya. I know that God has planned more than I could possibly imagine for the team and myself for these 11 months. God has shown me over and over again that he knows best, a blessing every time I see it.
