Good Afternoon all, and Happy February!
February is actually my favorite month of the entire year. First, because it is still so new in the year, but doesn’t hold all the pressures of January. I actually make my New Years resolutions for February, to free myself from the first 30 days of the year that so many deem critical to the accomplishing, or maybe not, of their “New Year, New Me” motivated routine changes. I believe that every minute, every hour, every day, and every month provide equivalent opportunities for growth. Praise Jesus, because I’ve still got a while to go. Secondly, February is my favorite month because I actually love Valentines Day, unlike so many. I love Valentines day because it’s a day is full of love, and Bob Goff actually says it best when telling a story about a young man he met who went above and beyond for the lady he loved. Bob says it this way, “Ryan’s love was audacious. It was whimsical. It was strategic. Most of all, it was contagious. Watching Ryan lose himself in love reminded me that being “engaged” isn’t just an event that happens when a guy gets on one knee and puts a ring on his true love’s finger. Being engaged is a way of doing life, a way of living and loving. It’s about going to the extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light. That’s what I want my life to be all about – full of abandon, whimsy, and in love. I want to be engaged to life and with life.” People hate this day because it’s cheesy, but how cool is it that we get to witness or sometimes partake in a day full of people practicing audacious love? This reminds me, in small, about when God talks of his Bride in the Bible, and the way He loved his Bride. How cool is it that silly celebrations like Valentines Day can give us glimpses into the Lord’s love, and that we can find traces of Him in absolutely everything?!
Saying all of that was kind of unrelated to what I am about to share, but I found it a great way to preface the later; The Lord’s love for us is audacious, whimsical, contagious, and unchanging. I have seen this play a part in my life in all the miraculous and all the tedious.
For those of you who have been following along with my journey with the World Race, know that I committed to the World Race Gap Year, where I travel to 3 different countries in 9 months to share the Gospel. However, I have recently decided, with much prayer and meditation, to step into the Semesters program, instead.
My heart behind taking some time off of school to serve the Lord in a way that I have felt called to, has remained the same. I felt a stirring in my heart to participate in the World Race since age 17. That marks 3 years of praying and considering what this meant for me. This semester, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was not where I was supposed to be, and long story short was led back to the World Race. Through the World Race, I dream of being with Jesus, with the distractions of my life here in College Station, in order to be His hands and feet to a people He loves deeply. I have the word “sojourn” tattooed on my left wrist. The word sojourn means, a temporary stay. I got this tattoo as a reminder of how to spend my time here on Earth. I hope to live a life that is marked with loving others radically, a love that overflows from my heart thanks to the way Jesus so loved us. A reminder to focus on the good, leave my anxieties behind, and live a life that is full of saying yes, embracing change, and welcoming others in. I know that taking this much time off of school for a mission trip, may seem like an interruption. However, I believe that we do not have enough time on this Earth to waste putting off what we feel God calling us to until it feels like the right time. Dave Hollis words my thoughts in a similar way, “One day, I want my kids to raise a glass and say, “She listened to where God led her, and despite what conventional thinking said, she trusted and went into uncertain spaces because the fruit of that uncertain tree is unbelievably better tasting.”
The paragraph above remains my heart for this mission. I changed from the Gap Year Program to the Semesters Program just recently. I had begun to feel convicted that I had been asking so much of my supporters, asking them to be all in for this. However, I felt as if being a full – time student at Texas A&M University, working two jobs, along with my other time commitments, I was unable to devote myself in the same way. I felt as if it would be the most honorable decision, to my supporters, and my personal dream to earn my college degree, to step into the Semesters program instead. I prayed, sought wise counsel, tested what I felt against the Word, and came to the conclusion that this would be the best decision for me.
I received so much peace about this decision from the Lord, and He showed up for me in so many crazy and specific ways the weeks following the decision. I had begun praying about the decision the day before I had agreed to meet a friend for coffee. I had even prayed specifically for my living situation of Spring 2020, knowing it could be hard and sometimes quite expensive to find a place to live for just one semester. Then, at coffee, my friend confided in me how stressed she was about finding a subleaser in her home for that same semester. I couldn’t deny that this was an open door if I ended up choosing to step into the semesters program. I didn’t make a decision that day, simply kept praying and asking the Lord what He had for me throughout this decision. The days following, financial support started flowing in without a cue. It was as if the Lord was ensuring that I wasn’t making this decision out of an anxiety that the money would not be raised. That being said, I fully believe and know that the Lord is not only capable, but willing, of providing for any and every need. No matter the amount of money, or the amount of time, the Lord promises provision. I also saw the seemingly random influx of financial support as an open door of sorts, a blessing from the Lord to assure me.
Finding peace of heart through prayer, and confidence through His provision, I felt led to step into the Semesters program instead. I will be going to South America, spending time in Ecuador and Peru being the hands and feet of Jesus by spreading the Gospel. In Ecuador we will be ministering to children living on the streets, serving in hospitals for people with special needs, spending time in elderly homes, working with feeding programs, and teaching English. In Peru, we will focus on women’s ministry and sports ministry. I chose this route because I felt as if the Lord sculpted these details with me specifically in mind. I work at summer camp, I love children. I currently get the privilege and blessing of caring for a boy with special needs, where I’ve found a passion for this ministry in College Station. I adore caring for people, especially the needy or sick. It’s crazy to think that my days as a CNA, once thought of as meaningless and just plain difficult, have even played a part in leading me to this. Additionally, I just joined an intramural soccer team, where I’ve rediscovered my love for the game. I felt as if everything was aligned in a way that led me to this decision in not just the big things, but the smallest details. I love the way the Lord of the Universe really does not miss a single thing.
All of this being said, I am so excited for this journey and I appreciate you all so immensely! To those who have partnered with me in prayer, this means the world to me! There is nothing more powerful than locking arms in prayer, and seeking the Lord alongside one another. To those of you who have partnered with me in financial support, this means the world to me! I appreciate and deeply thank you for the way you’ve sacrificed for me, and how you’ve blessed me in this way. Through it all, I’ve felt so moved and upheld by the ways you guys have supported me.
If you’ve made it here, you’ve read almost 1500 words, so I apologize! But thank you for listening to my heart, and being a faithful lover of the presence of Jesus. I pray that He may bless each of you.
All my Love and the Deepest of Thanks,
Kelsey
