Wondering what I’m going to do after a crazy 11-month mission trip to 11 different countries? This year has been incredible, and God has grown me and shown me so many things. I’ve seen amazing and breathtaking views, I’ve worked with all sorts of different ministries within so many different cultures, I’ve tasted new foods, I’ve met wonderful people, and God has revealed a lot more of who I am and what I am passionate about. He’s taught me a lot about Himself, other people, and me. Ah man, it’s so fun!! I am so thankful for what God has shown me this year, and I can’t WAIT to start doing the things I feel called to do!! And I want to share some of those things with you!
First of all, you’re probably wondering about my job. I officially quit my senior tax associate position at Eide Bailly before coming on the Race because I didn’t want to make promises I couldn’t keep about coming back when I wasn’t sure what God would reveal to me this year. I truly loved my job and the people I got to work with, but I simply wanted to be open to change after seeing and learning so much on the World Race. I will not be going back to my old position, but I am considering still working at Eide Bailly, only in a different department or doing my old job but with more flexible hours during busy season. I am also considering a move to private accounting. The reason I do not want to return to my old job is because working became my life during busy season. I loved it for that time in my life, but being on the Race, God has revealed SO MANY of my passions to me, and I know now I simply can’t have that busy of a schedule for 3 months straight every year. I will start figuring out more job details in the next few weeks.
So what else?! The funny thing is that most of what I discovered I loved this year didn’t actually come from partnering with ministries. It really started with a conversation I had with someone at a church in Thailand. I was asked what I was passionate about, and I started by saying I came on the Race to figure that out, but then I found myself word vomiting about how passionate I am for people who grew up in the Church but don’t really understand their faith or live it out. I knew I was passionate for those people before the Race, but I don’t think I had ever really given it a second thought because I didn’t know what to do with it realistically. But now, I know I can reach people like that through my church and my college, and I can’t wait to start! I’ve thought about sharing my testimony in one of the dorms or starting a Bible study or something but don’t have specific plans yet. I’m going to pray about my options and talk to people at USF and my church to get a better idea of what I could do to reach people like that. This passion is also one of the reasons I am so excited to be home. The condition of the Church in America is heavy on my heart. I want to start a fire in the church and lead people to deeper relationships with Christ. It’s not about following a bunch of rules and earning our way to God but rather accepting his gift of grace and living out of joy and a desire to do the right thing, not obligation. We call ourselves a Christian nation, and many claim the name of Christ, but there are many people wearing the Christian hat and not living it out. THAT is what I want to have conversations about. I want to challenge people who call themselves Christians, and I want people to start talking about their doubts and being completely honest about their spiritual life rather than saying one thing and acting out something completely different. It’s not wrong to doubt, and we shouldn’t have to hide or suppress our doubts just so we can look good to other people. The Church needs to allow people to express them and then encourage people in those doubts to seek the answers and know they will still be loved and supported through that process.
Something else that was confirmed to me this year was my love for discipleship. Right before I left, the church I go to at home started a discipleship program I was super excited about but didn’t have time to start. I am hoping to get involved in that right away so I can disciple and be discipled. I seriously LOVE the thought of talking about life and Jesus in one-on-one settings. That is where I thrive!! And through squad leading, God showed me how much I love encouraging people to want more and to push for more, and I’m pretty good at it!! I can quickly see potential in people and how they can grow, and I love challenging them in that. It can be easy to forget the body of Christ needs encouragement too. We can quickly push people who already know the Lord away because we want to focus on people who don’t know the Lord. But what if my encouragement to my sister in Christ caused her to have the courage to share the Gospel with someone else? We never know how one word of encouragement we give to someone could multiply the Kingdom, so discipleship is so so so important. It allows people to grow and mature in their faith so they can lead many others into a relationship with Christ.
I also really enjoyed the short time I was able to work with an organization in the Philippines that rescues girls from the sex trafficking industry. I’m not sure if I want to deal with sex trafficking specifically or maybe just more with people who go to the bars looking to numb the pain and escape their lives. Either way, I want to get connected with the sex trafficking organization in Sioux Falls and learn more about what they do. I’m sure they would have great ideas for approaching any kind of bar ministry, and I’m curious to see if what they do aligns with what I would like to do.
Along with blogging, I’ve discovered I’m passionate about sharing my story and encouraging others to share theirs. I think this can easily be done through blogging but also in many other ways. It is so important to me that Christians are authentic and honest about what they are going through, and I think sharing our stories is a wonderful way to be honest about what we have gone through in our lives and how God has worked through those things. People connect more easily to a personal story, so our testimonies are wildly important as well as what God continues to teach us. We’ve got to start talking about these things more than we do!!
Finally, this year on the Race showed me how intentional my Christian community back home can be. On our teams, we all shared our testimonies, had ‘team times’ where we would intentionally hang out and do various activities, and we did check-ins where we talked about how we were doing physically, spiritually, and emotionally. We also had feedback where we called out the ways we saw Jesus in each other and called out things that didn’t really look like Jesus in one another in a loving way that challenged us to talk to the Lord about it and see if we needed to grow in the area that was pointed out. Basically, those things taught me how to be more to the point with people and how to go deeper. Warning to all my friends and family as I come home: I’m most likely going to ask to hear all your testimonies. I’m going to be more straight-forward and say things that are bothering me or hurting me so they are out in the open, able to be talked about, and not causing bitterness in my heart. I’m going to be more quick to voice my needs, and I’m going to be more quick to challenge you if I see things in you that don’t look like Jesus. But I’m also going to tell you the ways you look like Jesus. I’m going to ask the hard questions and help you process. I’m going to be intentional in bringing up the deep things and setting aside time to talk about those things and grow together in community. I’m passionate about forming a deep Christ-centered community with those around me where we challenge each other every day to look more like Christ. I want more conversations to be about Jesus and what I’m learning and thinking.
These are all the major things I discovered I’m passionate about this year. And I know I’m passionate about those things because I literally giggle and clap my hands and get so happy when I think about doing them. Bahhhhh, I’m so excited!!! I used to think I wanted to be in an office by myself doing paperwork all day and that all my passions would be centered around a computer and a desk. I worked in my church’s office before the Race, and though I didn’t mind the work and was good at it, I never really felt fulfilled in it. I’ve discovered this year how much I love talking to people and how that brings me life. I’m not saying I won’t ever do office work again, but I just love so much how this year has shown me things that fulfill me on a deeper level and that still align with my skills. God is so good!!
