Meet Tamara! I had the privilege of getting to know this fun, loving, energetic, passionate, encouraging young woman in Serbia.
As church service was about to start and my team and I were shaking hands left and right, this young lady came over jumping with joy and introduced herself. She was SO excited we came and that we were World Racers. (There was a WR team that literally left 2 days before we arrived, so she already knew a little about us and what we’re doing). I exchanged contact info, told her I would see her after the service, and made my way upstairs to the rest of my team.
Over the course of the month, I met up with Tamara in a lovely local coffee shop she surprisingly had never been to and had deep, heart-felt, intentional conversations. We shared stories over yummy breakfast and I learned so much about her life. She is a middle child with one older sister and one younger sister (just like me!); she’s not much of a coffee or tea person, but she’ll drink it; she much prefers hot chocolate; she has a wonderful boyfriend from Croatia who you can tell loves her well in the way she talks about him; she has a huge heart for the nations and is going to Tanzania at the end of July (her very first mission trip, woohoo!!!); she dropped out of college to pursue something she loves rather than settling for what the world sees (you go girl!), but her eyes are fixed on the Lord; and she genuinely loves the Lord!
From the moment she introduced herself, I knew I wanted to get to know her more. I wondered why initially, but quickly came to find that she reminds me of me and seasons I’ve found myself in with the Lord. At 19, I was in my second year of college, taking pre-nursing and social work courses because I wasn’t sure what the Lord was calling me into. My relationship with the Lord was growing deeper and stronger, but I was still trying to find myself. I was battling the temptation to please the world and learning what it looks like to walk in my own faith, not anyone else’s. I had been on several mission trips at this point, but I still had a longing for more; beyond the borders of the US. I knew within me that I’ve been called to go!
This is where Tamara is right now. She feels the Lord nudging her to share the Good News and build Kingdom. She is a leader and example of how to live a selfless life for the Lord. It was so encouraging to meet this lady who has such a huge heart for the Lord and be reminded that God’s Kingdom is everywhere! Being her first mission trip experience, she’s a little scared and uncertain about where the Lord is taking her, but her faith is firm. Please pray for this wonderful girl as she’s preparing to leave and for her future as a missionary!
Thanks fam,
~A
