Hi world! I have news. I am leaving the country! 🙂 No, I’m not going on vacation. It is way better than that.
To tell you what I am doing, I first need to give you a quick update. The truth is that there has been a lot going on in my life these past few years. It hasn’t been all fun, so if you have asked me how I have been, I have probably awkwardly danced around an answer.
Since December of 2016, I have been working as a Merchandiser for an online vitamin & supplement company. Despite the perks of having a good paying job, close to family, God has been using changes in my circumstances to call me away from it, and toward something totally different.
In the last year and a half:
- I have lost 50+ co-workers/friends to layoffs
- I have lost 6 or 7 bosses (I have actually started to lose count)
- My job description has changed each time I have changed leadership
To say that this has been hard is a royal understatement, but God is still good! He has used these changes in my circumstances to call me out of this job. Each time I have researched opportunities or prayed about what might be next, I have heard Him saying, “Liesl. Liesl. Liesl, it is time to go.”
“Go” is a terrifyingly exciting word for me, because it represents the realization of an 8-year long dream. In 2011, I went on a 7-week mission trip to Sierra Leone, Africa. Ever since, there has been a piece of me that longed to return to the mission field, but the timing wasn’t right. There were things that had to happen first: graduate college, start a career, pay off student loans, welcome nieces and nephews into the world, and cheer grandparents on as they left to be with Jesus. All those things pushed missions further and deeper into the file cabinet of my heart labelled “Save for Later.”
So, when God said “Go!” I felt a little dumbstruck. “Where? How? You do mean missions, right? By ‘later’ did you mean now?” This began the year-long search for the next calling. I googled, prayed, waited and pursued, but nothing was coming together. That was until I found myself on The World Race website, reading about routes departing in August of 2019. As I read the descriptions of what the ministry would look like in each country, it was as if my heart exhaled for the first time in 12 months. “This. This is it. This is what was being saved for later.”
So here I am! Sitting in my parent’s house, writing in my blog for The World Race. I have been praying for years for an opportunity to do mission work again, to live in service to Christ, to put all else aside and to just go. It has been so long that I almost don’t feel like this is really happening. But it is happening!
In August, I hope to be boarding a plane for South Africa, where my team and I will start our 11-month journey. We will be going to 11 countries, across the globe, to share the love of Jesus with the people in the ways they need it most. We will be partnering with churches and local ministries to reach the people in these countries. We will be helping in schools, planting churches, leading camps, working in orphanages, and ministering to those affected by poverty and human trafficking.
My route will take me to: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. (You can read more about it here)
That said, there are many things that need to happen before then, including: telling my employer, getting all the gear, and raising support. If you want to get involved, I would love to have you partner with me through prayer, encouragement and financial support. You can donate in one of three ways:
- Use the orange “donate” button at the top of the page
- Send a check/money order payable to Adventures in Missions with my name on the memo line (Mail to: Adventures in Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570). Please mail only one check per envelope, as checks are processed mechanically.
- Electronic Funds Transfer (Dynapay) – Go to adventures.org/dynapay to fill out an online form for a monthly donation from your checking. No transaction fee will be charged for donations made through EFT.
I know that this is what I am supposed to do next, but the reality is that I need people like you to come alongside me. I would be honored to have you team up with me to make an impact in the lives of people around the globe.
I will continue to use this blog to update you on my progress as I raise support, prepare for departure, as well as after I launch. Please stay tuned, and feel free to message me with questions or words of encouragement.
Best,
Liesl
P.S. These pictures below are from eight years ago, but I am looking forward to bringing back my no makeup, humidified hair, surrounded by African kids look. 🙂
