It has been about 6 months since I’ve posted a blog and a lot has happened!
I made the decision to hold off on launching for the world race in August 2018 because I was uncertain if I was truly prepared for it. I had never been on a mission trip before and I had no knowledge of who Adventures in Missions was. So, instead of going on the race, I opted to go on a short-term mission trip to Romania for a week in June. Let me tell you, I learned so much!
First, it confirmed to me God’s calling for me to go into mission work. I already knew God had put it on my heart, but this showed me what it was like and that I was able to do it. I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly many times there pulling me toward this. I questioned God many times asking, “Is this really what you want me to do?” and every time I felt just an overwhelming sense of peace and a simple “Yes.” So, this is me stepping out in faith to do what I believe God wants for me and, as a bonus, it’s also something I want to do! I now have the confidence that I lacked before.
Second, I learned more about Adventures in Missions (AIM) and what the organization is all about. AIM is a missionary organization founded by Seth Barnes (who hasn‘t escaped some controversy) with the goal of spreading the Gospel all over the world through sending missionaries. They offer discipleship programs to help teach young people (like myself) how to live in community and be accountable to other people, how to share Jesus with others unashamedly, and how to encounter and rely on the Holy Spirit in guiding everything we do. The model for this is the early church found in the book of Acts. Our project leader for the Romania mission trip, Bill, who personally knows Seth, explained it this way to me: Seth coined the phrase “discipleship through adventure” which basically means that we take people out of their environments and comfort zones, send them out into different places with others and mentor them. They get to see and experience different countries and cultures all while learning more about community and meeting others’ needs. Then when they get back home they can share their experiences and what they’ve learned with friends and family and hopefully influence those around them.
Something I personally noticed while in Romania, we in America lack real community. We are such an isolated people, with our smartphones, our TV shows and movies, our cozy homes, and our computers. We almost never have to leave our homes except for food and work (and some people work from home and you can even have your groceries delivered to your house in some places!) In 10 years, it will literally not be necessary for a person to leave their home, if they don’t want to. I find this terrifying! We have all this technology, but it does nothing for us. We are all so depressed, feel so alone, have all these emotional issues because we were made for community! Look at the Bible, the church is not a building or a place where people go to worship (that was the temple and it was destroyed), the church is us! We are God’s temple and we are supposed to have fellowship with each other. Real face-to-face conversations and interactions. We’re supposed to share our meals and our homes our hearts and our lives with fellow believers. We are not supposed to be isolated or feel alone! The people of Romania are poor by American standards. Some homes didn’t even have electricity or running water. But they had community. The people from the church got together and did things for one other. They helped each other out. They provided for those who couldn’t provide for themselves. Romanians may be poor economically, but they are so rich culturally. The church there was like a close-knit family, and even though I was only an American visiting there for a week, they welcomed my team and I as if we were family. They cooked us meals and ate with us and took the time to get to know us. This made a profound impact on me. Pastor Raul (the pastor of the host church in Romania) asked me a question I’ve never had a pastor ask me before and I’ll never forget. He asked, “What would it take for me to have your heart?” He asked it as casual as can be while buying me and two other members of our team coffee. I couldn’t answer him! I literally had never given it thought. But it was the fact that he even asked the question in the first place. I’ve been to church many times and I’ve never had someone want to get to know me like that. We Americans like our personal space and it makes us uncomfortable when people get too close. Why are we so guarded against letting people in? If you went to church, and the pastor asked you this directly and expected an honest answer, would you return to that church? Or would you think he’d lost his mind? This is the kind of radical love and intentionality that Jesus personified though. Jesus tells us he should be the focus of our heart.
Third is what God has been teaching me as of late. To put it bluntly, I don’t trust him. I’ve never really been in a situation where I had to risk something for Jesus. I live in my comfortable home, eat all the food I could want, and yet struggle to tell my coworkers about Jesus because I’m afraid they might make fun of me or think I’m crazy (though I’m pretty sure both are true opinions of me by them). Yet, there are people who have nothing and are not allowed to speak about Jesus, yet proclaim his name for all to hear not caring what may happen to them. I’m not saying having plenty is a sin. God is the one who chooses who has plenty and who has little. What I’m saying is, it is all too easy to lose focus of God in the abundance and start trusting in it instead of God. Look at the ancient Israelites, God blessed them with abundance and plenty. They lacked nothing. But they lost focus of God, instead they turned away from God and started trusting in the things God gave them. They started worshipping idols and forgot God altogether. You may say idolatry is dead, but I say it‘s very much alive today, just in different forms. Instead of worshipping statues of wood, stone, or precious metals, we instead worship ourselves, science, mankind, the earth, pleasure and all sorts of other things. It is no different today than it was then. Jesus said that if someone wanted to be his follower, he had to give up his own way, take up his cross daily, and follow him. He also said that those who tried to hold on to their lives would lose them, but those who gave up their lives, for his sake, would find them. I believe God is saying it’s time to let go of wanting to have control of my life and the things I’m clinging to because they’re meaningless and unimportant. Do I trust him enough to do what he wants me to do? Quite frankly, no, I don’t. But God is teaching me how to do so and I believe the race is the next step in this walk with God. When I was leaving Romania to come back home, I was talking to one of the people I had gone with. I asked her if there was any advice she could give me and the words “don’t be afraid“ came into my head. She said that two things came to her mind: the first was obedience and the second was don’t be afraid! I couldn’t believe it! You may discount that as chance or circumstance but I honestly believe that God spoke to me through her. She spoke the thought in my head! Not to mention, those two things are very consistent with scripture. How many times do you see obedience and don’t be afraid in the Bible? It’s everywhere! It’s literally in every book of the Bible.
So, in conclusion, this catches you up to speed with me. Thank you so much to everyone who donated so I could go to Romania. I’m eternally grateful to you. Now, this is what I’m asking God for concerning fundraising for the race. I’m asking for three things: 1. That God would provide the money in full before I leave in August. 2. That He would bring people into my life who are willing to help me. 3. That he would give me a good support system with people who will encourage me and uplift me and pray for me.
It’s often hard for me to believe God will answer my prayers because i don’t understand why He would want to do anything for me when I’m so bad and unfaithful to him, but I know this is a lie and that God loves me (not just me but you as well!) and is a good father to me. I believe he will answer these requests in ways I can’t even imagine.
