Hello!! Wow, it’s been a minute. My life has felt like total chaos the last few months and I have failed to stay on top of writing blogs as I would have liked so I apologize! Although it’s been chaos it has been a beautiful sort of chaos. The Lord is just doing beautiful things in my heart and in my life and has just been drawing me closer in the midst of the craziness that my life is currently!
As these last several weeks have passed the Lord has revealed different plans He has for me in the near future that I have been so ecstatic about but within revealing those plans He has also changed some. If you notice on my profile here on Adventures In Missions, it no longer says I am traveling to Thailand and Cambodia. About three weeks ago my team and I were informed that due to COVID regulations over in that area of Asia it would not be possible to go there this summer as we had hoped and planned. When i received the email I sat in shock. I never really had a doubt in my mind about us still being able to go so this news sort of came out of nowhere for me. For about 5 minutes I sat in just complete anxiety, doubt, stress, all of the things. How could this happen? Why?
My five minutes of overwhelming emotion came to a sudden halt when the Lord so tenderly spoke peace over me. He wasn’t surprised by this. He wasn’t stressed out about this or even worried in the slightest. Every question I was asking, He has the answer. Just because this plan was changing, did not mean my God was changing.
Luckily my team and I were given options moving forward. We could either withdrawal completely, pick a new trip for the summer, or defer to a trip in the fall. I feel so grateful that we had these options available. We had one week from the day we were told the news to decide what our summer would look like now.
I knew in my heart that withdrawing was not an option. The Lord placed this dream in my heart years ago and I knew that promise was to be fulfilled. Picking a trip for the fall was also not an option due to the fact that I will be moving to Texas in September to attend Lifestyle Christianity University. So with that, my option left was to attend a new summer trip. There were a few options but as I prayerfully considered my heart seemed to be crying out for South Africa. So I am so excited to share that this summer I will now be spending one month in Eswatini and one month in Johannesburg! Never had I imagined there months before leaving the states my destination for my mission would change but here we are.
Ive been asked a lot if I’m disappointed or upset. And my simple answer has been I am more so excited and expectant. Excited that the Lord has given me this new opportunity to witness Him move in the hearts of those in South Africa as well as my heart and expectant for all that He is going to do. Guys, He is so faithful. We live lives that feel like they’re constantly changing. whether it’s big things or little things, things are constantly moving and constantly changing but how blessed are we that we have the invitation to rest in the God that remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Things that come as unexpected to us don’t take Him by surprise at all. He knows the plans He has for us and they are GOOD. So good. Even if we don’t understand certain circumstances or certain situations, ultimately His ways and thoughts are higher than ours and all He asks us to do is trust Him through all of it. So although yes part of my heart breaks at the fact that I won’t be able to meet and experience the hearts i’ve been praying for in Thailand and Cambodia but who’s to say that one day the Lord will actually end up leading me there? Just not right now? My heart rejoices at the fact that the Lord has so much goodness in store for these coming months and I’m so eager to encounter the people He has for us to minister to and to ultimately just encounter Him deeper and greater.
I am still fully funded, and I will still be leaving and coming home the same dates that I was originally supposed to! Right now I would just ask that you would partner with me in praying for the hearts in South Africa that will be touched, my team and their hearts as they prepare for our mission, as well as my own heart as God continues to prepare it. I am endlessly thankful for all the encouragement and support i’ve received since being accepted for my mission and I can’t wait to continue sharing with you all the goodness that God reveals. God Bless you guys, He is good!
