Hello Friends and Family!
I just wanted to send a quick update about what has been going on in my life and to share some exciting news on what’s to come!
It has been a long time since I last posted an update, and have now been home for about 4 months! While I was away, I learned so much about different cultures, people groups, and the love God has for this world. He opened up my heart and eyes to so much beauty and heartbreak as I learned what it really means to “seek first the Kingdom of Heaven”, and to establish living in Kingdom culture wherever you go. God opened me up to more of who He is and what He is capable of and has filled me with experiences and testimonies to His wondrous works.
If you would like to hear my stories or more about my time overseas, I would love to talk with you more about all the amazing things the Lord did while I was away!
It was an amazing opportunity that I am very thankful to have been called into, and to have had all the prayer, support, and encouragement back at home. During the end of my time on the field, I began to ask the Lord what my next steps with Him were to be once back home in America. I was excited to get back into my career, and to volunteer my time with a church. Once home, I spent some time catching up with friends and family, then began working as a veterinary technician!
I was also asked by leadership to consider partnering with them once more as an Alumni Team Leader. While I had been very excited towards starting back up in America, the more I prayed into this decision, the more clearly I realized that the Lord was leading me towards going back to the field.
So now I am extremely excited to announce that I will be leaving the country again in just 10 days to lead a team during their first three months on the field, and tomorrow I fly to Atlanta to begin my training!
So, what exactly does that mean?
I will be leading a team through their first three months on the field in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. My role as an alumni team leader is to help establish healthy team culture and understanding of ministry host relationships before asking them to facilitate that on their own. I will be the one in contact with the hosts each month, doing ministry with my team each day, and upholding our day-to-day schedule and commitments. I will also serve as an immediate staff contact for my team for anything that they may need.
Why is this important?
During my time on the field, we did not have alumni team leaders. AIM has recently decided to add this position to help new racers transition into life on the field. Looking back, I can see how much of a benefit having an alumni would have been for us. Culture shock is real, and sometimes you can find yourself going through the motions without realizing why. You get thrown into this new place with new communities and are living in close quarters 24/7. You begin to learn more about yourself and about God and begin this personal transition all the while being committed to ministry, your team, and everything in between.
During that time of transition, confusion, processing, tearing down old habits and building up new ones, it’s important to have someone there to help you understand and make sense of it all, to keep your head on straight, and to remind you of what’s important.
What does this position mean to me?
Discipleship played a huge role for me while I was in college ministry. During the last few months of my own race, I began asking the Lord what type of ministry He was calling me towards for the future. The more I sought out an answer, the more the idea of volunteering my time discipling college aged women at a university became extremely exciting.
While alumni team leasing isn’t exactly the same thing, the basics go hand in hand. I’ll be leading, mentoring, and discipling both men and women. My position will bridge the gap from AIM staff at home to staff with them on the field. It brings greater intimacy, trust, presence, and availability. I love watching others grow and to be able to point out unique ways God created them and how He has gifted them for His ministry. I’ll get to watch my team as they discover more deeply these truths of who God made them to be and to begin walking in that!
How can you partner with me during these next three months?
1. If you are not subscribed to my blog already, hit the subscribe button at the top of the page to receive an email whenever I post a new blog!
2. Join my prayer team! Prayer support from back home is so important and makes a huge difference. While on the field, myself and my squad could really feels all the prayers from people back at home. The encouragement and thoughts really meant a lot to all of us while away.
3. Give financially. For the next three months, I am raising support to cover transportation, lodging, and food expenses while away. This comes to $3,800 in total. If you feel led or are able to give, any amount would be a great help and would mean a lot to me! You can give directly to me, or you can hit the donate button at the top of this page to give directly to my World Race account.
4. Stay in touch! If you have any questions, encouragement to send, or want to just start a conversation while I am away, you can email me at [email protected], reach out to me directly at (219)921-4085 before I leave on the 12th, or direct message me on any social media platform during my time away!
