When I tell people I’m going on the World Race again I get the weirdest looks..I don’t know if it’s because they are scared I will cut my leg open again, maybe because I told them to many horrible poop stories, or the biggest one.. because I just finished school…
yep…I just graduated cosmetology school, got my license, and now I’m “leaving” again..
but most people don’t know why I started cosmetology school,
people don’t know the dream that’s inside of me,
what the Lord has called me to do
lets rewind back two years ago March 2012:
I had just had my shark bite accident (aka falling into a metal pole and getting a 11 inch cut on my leg) and I was in Cambodia with my teammate Heather about 2 hours away from our team. I had to go to the hospital everyday to get my leg cleaned and wrapped. When Heather would go with the team to minister, I would sit on the bed with my leg propped up and watch disney movies until my computer died, then count the tiles on the ceiling. Some days were worse than others; I would scream out to God asking Him why did this have to happen?? I came on the race to heal the sick, not be the sick and I was struggling with even staying on my race.
Well one night this whole accident was made worth it, I had a dream of opening my own salon. It was one of those crazy, vivid dreams where you can see, smell, and touch everything. When I woke up I felt like that place was home, it was made just for me, it was so familiar…
Long story short Daddy God showed me my destiny in the dream. The salon was called Proverbs 31 salon & spa and it was a place where human trafficking viticms could come out of the streets and get a job to support their families. It was a safe place, a home to homeless, a place where broken people where put back together with love and encouragement. A place people WANTED to come & they came to find refuge. Since I have a half of associates degree in graphic design (from the first time quitting school and going on the race) the Lord began to show me logos and the interior design. For weeks I would wake up in the middle of the night and draw something else the Lord had shown me. I had floor plans, paint colors, vending machine options, t shirts and so much more planned out to a T. And when I had time on the internet I would research cosmetology schools because I knew this is what I needed to do when I got home.
Fast forward to January 2013:
Even though I knew about Proverbs 31 I wasn’t sure that was where God was leading me. I had people in my life that weren’t fond of the idea and they told me it would never happen and as crazy as it sounded I listened! I LISTENED TO PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLING MY DREAM! I was at a huge crossroads in my life; the way I thought my future was going to end up changed in an instant and I didn’t know what to do. The Lord quickly pointed me towards what he had given me almost a year before! It was HIS dream all along not MINE! So in April 2013, on my 22nd birthday, I started cosmetology school.
Those 13 months were one of the hardest seasons of my life! but the Lord taught me so much and I’m so thankful for the people I met along the way. It would hit me hard sometimes; I would be sitting in class or on the pinic tables at lunchtime and think of the women I met in Thailand. The kids that were selling roses until 3 am, the 17 year old girls I saw holding hands & kissing 60 year old american men and I would hold back tears because daddy was reminding me of why I was there. Why I had started cosmetology school in the first place and no matter how hard it seemed…there was a bigger purpose! Those people were counting on ME!
After graduating in May 2014 I headed to Swaziland & South Africa and for the first time I was able to combine my two passions: cosmetology and missions! I was ecstatic! I went to the local “walmart” and got hair products and styling tools to teach the ladies around me what to do with their hair and make them feel beautiful again! I knew in my heart I WAS MADE FOR THIS! Yesterday I passed my second board for cosmetology so I am OFFICIALLY licensed and ready to work in a REAL salon!!! && I know my clients will be so glad they won’t have to get their hair shampooed in the kitchen sink anymore! lol
In two months I’ll be leaving little ole Lake City, South Carolina to squad lead an amazing group of 50+ women and men around the world for 5 months. I truly believe squad leading is going to mature me as a woman of God! I’ll get to work on leadership and communication skills, I’ll be in charge of logistics and finacial tasks. All of these things are crucial to running a business,things I still need to learn. I know in our worldly minds it doesnt make a bit of sense for me to finish school and not get a job, But I also know that the Lord is calling me on this journey to get me that much closer to Proverbs 31! I’m excited about how much I will learn, not only by living life with my squad, but being able to do hair in other countries, learn different techniques, and be apart of their culture.
I know this seems random and sometimes I think to myself that “maybe i should just stay home and get a job” but I’m quickly reminded of the people that I fell in love with two years ago and how I want to dedicate my life to helping them. And if the Lord says this is one of the ways to prepare me for that…I‘m all in! The nations feel like home to me and though this journey will be out of my comfort zone I know in my heart this is exactly where Daddy God wants me. Look at the bright side being a cosmetologist, I can do my job anywhere…everyone around the world has hair, well most of them 🙂
this is my crazy beautiful life…thank you for being apart of it!
-ericaleighfloyd
