On March 1st, I boarded a plane with my squad ready to fly to Ecuador for our final three months living and serving God together on the race. Was I tired from the first six months on the field and excited to be home? Yes. But I was also very excited to see what else God had planned for us. I was excited to explore a country that every Racer loves and raves about due to the amazing ministry hosts, the ministries, and the culture in Ecuador.
When we arrived in Ecuador, we were greeted by our wonderful ministry host and bused to Casa Blanca, the house we’d be staying at until going back to the States. The next few days consisted of resting after travel, getting settled, and house/ministry orientation before beginning ministry the following week. My team and I were placed with an organization called Cru who partners with schools to help teach English and share the Gospel through connecting and relating to the students. My team and I were excited about the opportunity to get creative with ways to share the Gospel with the students we’d be working with. Since our ministry started later than others, my team served by helping around Casa Blanca before going into the schools. Most of the tasks were easy house chores, but it meant a lot that we could help our host in this way.
While all this was going on, we were aware Covid-19 was starting to spread but weren’t fully educated about the severity of it due to staying present with our mission and living in a foreign country with limited resources and time to connect with home. We prayed for those it affected and hoped we would still be able to continue and completely finish our mission.
However, a week and a half passed and we were a little more concerned with how this may affect us. Our organization was keeping a close watch on everything but did say there was a small chance we’d be pulled off the field and brought back to the States if things were to escalate. A few more days passed and that possibility quickly became our reality. Traveling back to the States was a little sad, hectic, and chaotic, but we trusted the leadership above us making these decisions. After a whirlwind of 72 hours, I finally found myself back in my home state with my family.
Throughout this whole time, I wrestled with God as to why He was ending our mission two and a half months early. I was confused with my emotions and how I truly felt about this decision. Everything happened so fast I felt numb to the fact that this was actually reality. I was home and my race was over. I felt like my mission had ended.
But wait, why would God end a nine month mission that actually teaches you to make the mission a lifestyle?
He wasn’t ending my mission. He was changing my mission field. And He knew this was the plan all along. He knew I would spend three months in Romania, three months in Guatemala, and only two weeks in Ecuador before I returned to the States. He knew what the timing would be all along and now He just needed me to trust in Him. So after I realized I was believing a lie from the devil about my mission ending, I sat with the Lord and processed it all.
He reminded me one thing that has stuck with me: “You didn’t come home early from your mission trip. You came home right on time. It was never your timing but always My timing. My timing is always perfect. Trust in my timing.”
The Lord didn’t want the “end” of my Race to be in Ecuador. He wanted us to focus on the States and help bring revival. There is a reason He brought back hundreds of international missionaries all at the same time. He knows the States needs revival and He knows we are ready to be a part of that. We didn’t need two and a half more months of “training.” We were ready and God knew it. Now we just needed to believe in ourselves that we were ready.
So I chose to believe in God and myself that there is a great reason as to why His timing was the way it was and there is a reason I am back in the States.
Now, I chose to pick God every single day even if it is hard or may be “embarrassing” because He is worth it. His timing and His Plan is worth it. I chose that everyday and I am very excited to see how God moves through His disciples during this time. I am choosing to be grateful that my time is now being spent in the States and not to stay mourning the fact that I “lost” two and a half months in Ecuador and with my squad. I am so thankful for the time I had living in new countries with my teammates that became family, but my race is not done yet and it will never be. My race will continue on till the day I die fighting for what the Lord has planned and how He wants to use me as His hands and feet here on earth.
Thank you so much for supporting me through this journey! I pray for safety and trust in the Lord for everyone reading this! Don’t forget, it’s God timing, not ours.
