How did I end up here – to now – to the World Race? That seems to be a question many are interested in so…
It started with a church, that hired a youth minister… a youth minister that married a girl… a girl whose parents were missionaries in Haiti… and all that led to me – being 16 and going on a trip.
My first mission trip was to Haiti when I was 16. That led to a trip to Jamaica and then to a mission in Mexico…. Then I graduated high school. College came directly after that. Collage was a very defining place for me – and not in a good way. Looking back to my time in college and the few years after – it is like that person was not me – I don’t recognize that girl… but “that” girl transformed into “this” girl – who is continually transforming and renewing into yet a different girl (hopefully a more Christ-like girl)… but, I’m getting off subject (big surprise…).
In 2007, that youth minister – that opened my heart up to the possibility of missions, and taught me what the joy of service really was / is – died. He drowned on a college-age mission trip in Mexico. As the most selfless person I have ever known – he served God unto death – he gave up his life in the opportunity to love and serve others as Jesus did. It was in his death that I realized I wanted that life – a life dead to self and alive in Christ. It was a short and subtle realization – but my spirit started to wake up that day…
I was in a very bad place in my life in 2007. There was alot of healing that needed to take place – mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally… I had let a very long life of captivity bind me into a place of helplessness, hopelessness, and darkness. I lived in a very scary and very alone place.
It was December 5th, 2008 that the Lord set me free – broke my chains – released me from my captivity to sin – and I haven’t looked back! It was that day that I learned how to breathe – found my voice – understood what it meant to be alive!
I hadn’t traveled out of the country since high school, but had the opportunity to go back to Haiti in Feburary, 2009. And, then, in October of last year, I was able to revisit Mexico. While there, the group took a trip to the beach. It was the beach where our minister, our friend, had drowned. It was such a beautiful, peaceful place… yet, it held a very deep sadness – an overwhelming reverence that settled deep and heavy inside… In 2007 my spirit started to wake up, but it was there, on that beach, in 2009, that my spirit came alive! That small quiet realization of my destiny let out a very loud scream! It was then that I decided I wanted to know who I was, right then, right now – and who I was going to be – in Christ. I knew who I “was” (past) – but that was done, over, gone, finished – that was no longer my identity – I had a new identity, in Christ – and I wanted to know what that was… I finally realized that God had a plan for me and I wanted to carry it out! No matter what it was – the “mission” didn’t matter – but He mattered – He was ALL that mattered!
(the beach, Mexico)
(Mr. Angel, thank you for your life.)
I was headed back to Haiti the first week of February, this year… but due to the tragedies – the trip was postponed. It was actually at that mission meeting I found out about the world race. I looked at the website and God said YES… So I said – o.k.
I wanted to leave, go anywhere, to do anything… I just wanted to be where ever God was and love His people – anyone, everyone… My heart cried for it – I just didn’t know where to go or what to do or how to do it… I tried to figure it out myself – chose one place, choose one type of people… but I just couldn’t… I wanted to see everywhere – meet everyone! I would pray and cry out to God that I didn’t understand how I could want something so bad that didn’t make sense… but oh, how God’s plans are so far better than anything I could ever come up with! How thankful I am He never gave up on me… He had days planned for me – a destiny for me – planned from the moment I was being formed in my mother’s womb. How exciting that here I am today living out His plans! So, here I am… getting ready to travel around the world serving Christ and loving all His children – young and old! And when I get back home – how fantastic that I get to ask – “What next Lord – what are we going to do now?!” How exciting He is! Sometimes it really does amaze me how much I love my life!
