Hey party people!!! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog, but I wanted to update you guys with new changes and new information about what this semester will look like for me!
As we all know, when the coronavirus hit, many of the plans we all laid out for ourselves were paralyzed. Plans of present and future events, milestones, and life changing decisions fell apart right in front of us into a 1,000 pieces all mixed up and out of order.
When I first received information about possible changes that may happen to the World Race Gap Year Program I immediately closed off my thoughts filled with worry and FEAR of the UNKNOWN that were trying to creep in. I thought if I just closed off the negativity banging in the back of my head, I wouldn’t question anything moving forward. Turning my thoughts around, as any 7 would do (my enneagram number if you’re not familiar 😉, I had so much positivity running around constantly reminding myself that God is in control and that healing will be brought to this land! I couldn’t bare the thought of not launching on our original launch date let alone have training camp the 10 days before we would launch all together!
A few months went by along with weekly zooms with my squad mates, phone calls with my mentors and my admissions adviser. I continually shared “I believe we will still launch as scheduled, and I have so much faith and trust in God and His power!”
When I would pray, I prayed the original dates set out for training camp and launch would remain the same and finished my prayers with ‘your will be done.’, secretly hoping what I signed up for and the plan I made for myself would be the outcome. BUT that’s not how God works. He doesn’t work around my schedule or my plans. You see, my “what seemed so positive” outlook on all this was totally out of wack, selfish, and definitely not glorifying to the Lord AT ALL!
*side note: God gives so much grace even in the places we overlook.
God poured grace over me and my thoughts before I even recognized the selfishness inside me.
Leading up to this past Monday, I received the final updated email and I was not ready for the reality to hit… but I knew whatever was decided was the plan God KNEW ALL ALONG! The unknown plan was known from the beginning! The moment I hit “send” on my application in September 2019 was the day God was orchestrating the plans He had for me and this next chapter of my life!
Hallelujah to Him be the Glory!
**so I will share the exciting opportunity God has laid out before me!!!**
The original plan of launching in September and heading straight for the mission fields for 9 months has changed slightly.
Starting September 1st, I will be moving to Gainesville, Georgia and living on AIMs base for the first four months! Yes you read that right!! I along with fellow gap year participants will be living in our tents periodically throughout our time there while also living in four walls with a roof over our heads. During our time at the AIM headquarters we will be learning and experiencing how Jesus lead and the skills of leadership along with being discipled and growing in our understanding on what that looks like! Not only that but we will have opportunities to help with local community outreach and development and evangelism around Georgia!
After those 4 months we plan to launch in January for the remaining 5 months of our gap year program! Details involving the specific countries and the length of our time in each country are still being discussed! With that being said, the time of waiting patiently continues and you can join me in prayer for God to lead us in the direction He wants us to go to!
*WOW! God is so good!*
Looking back, I am reminded that God is faithful and He is our constant Protecter! His will be done no matter what we think is best, we know His plan for our lives is what’s best! Before typing this blog, I never analyzed my thoughts in detail. It’s crazy to look back and see what I thought my gap year would look like and how my outlook now is totally different compared to what I envisioned in the moments before now! Boy, am I glad for the ability to share with y’all how much my initial thoughts have changed.
Before I end this blog, I wanted to share what God laid on my heart during this time of deciding where He was leading me! In the email we received, at the very end we were given the option to wait and launch in January with a new squad for 6 months, or defer our gap year for the fall of 2021. We had a week to decide and boy was it a tough week of prayer and digging down deep in our hearts to listen and follow where the Holy Spirit was leading us.
In the middle of that week, My squad mates and I held a zoom call where we could all open up and be vulnerable in our emotions and where we felt God was leading us. That was hard for all of us because we all built a strong bond from the beginning, and we didn’t want to say our goodbyes this soon! At that moment God spoke to me through one of my squad mates, Sarah! She mentioned how when we all signed up for this 9 month gap year program, we didn’t sign up for the 9 months away from home and the specific countries scheduled on our route. We signed up to bring Glory to God, to grow in our faith and relationship with Him, and for God to stretch us and mold us to be more like Him and bare His image. That’s why we signed up and she was so right!
Taking this wisdom, I asked God to renew my mind and my thoughts and confessed that glorifying Him and living for Him is worth so much more than living for myself and going my own way. It was then I began to grow more and more excited about the opportunity God laid out for me! He gave me confidence in knowing I was right where He wanted me to be! I’m beyond thankful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to learn lifelong lessons and grow in wisdom!
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This past week as a squad, we had to say ‘see ya later (not a goodbye;)’ to some amazing friends God blessed us with and we will remember forever!! It was and still is sad to see our squad grow smaller, but we are happy for our fellow brothers and sister in Christ who will begin a different chapter in their life this semester knowing they are right where God wants them to be. We can rest knowing God has all of us in the right place! He will continually bless us with fellow followers of Christ who will encourage us and grow with us, whatever path we are taking!
Before I sign off, I wanted to thank you all who have supported me thus far and Im excited to continue this journey and share it with you! For those new to blog and would like to pray for me or donate to my missions trip, I would greatly appreciate it! All amounts are welcome! God has blessed me thus far with amazing people who have supported me already and now I am $5,100 away for being fully funded!!
I love you all so much and thank you for reading a piece of my heart and what God is doing in my life and others around me!
XOXO
