On the last day of my first week in Guatemala we had the opportunity to go to a church in the city. As we began praise and worship my heart exploded!! All of us Americans were singing the songs in English while all of the Guatemalans were singing the same songs to the same big God in Spanish. I got so overwhelmed thinking about how big God is as tears rolled down my face during worship. I was reminded of Revelation 7:9 where it says “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” I was just amazed at the different cultures and languages coming together praising the same God. Something my mind just could not fathom. Needless to say, I went back the next year and then again the next year.
After going to Guatemala 3 years in a row, the only thing on my mind was international missions. The idea of loving people around the world and showing them Jesus was all that I wanted to do! As graduation was quickly approaching in spring, I prayed and prayed and just cried out to God for an opportunity for my future and missions in general. Then I came across World Race Semesters. As much as I loved Guatemala and the way it sparked my heart for international missions, the idea of loving another culture and nation was on my heart. I’m not really sure what made me choose Ethiopia, but I think I’ll find out.
I heard a story my first time in Guatemala that changed my perspective as well. The director of the organization I was with was telling us a story. He said he was telling his family about the gospel because a lot of his family were not believers. After he got done telling them about it a family member came up to him and said “I don’t know if I can say I believe you, but if all of what you just said is true, why would you not go tell the whole world of this good news you believe in?”. That story changed my perspective on the gospel. It’s so true. This is good news that we simply cannot keep to ourselves. Why would we not want to tell everone we know and the whole world?? My heart behind it all is just that of Revelation 7:9. The great multitude of every nation, tribe, people and language around the world would get to hear the greatest love story of all time. Seeing all that Jesus created around the world, loving His people and experiencing that BIG love wherever He takes me is all I aspire to do!
