Hey! My name is Avery and I am from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (near Charleston:)) This fall I was supposed to be going to Clemson, but decided that I wanted to stay home this semester to save money, rather than paying a lot for online school, and I also felt God was convicting me that I needed to stay home. My plan was just to take one semester off and go to Clemson in January, but the Lord had other plans for me!
This last semester I have been at home, God has grown me more than I could have imagined. I have found a passion for reading and growing in knowledge of the bible, I have been able to attend a spiritual gifts women’s life group, lead a middle school small group, as well as dive deep into my prayer life. Had it not been for God calling me to stay home instead of going to Clemson this semester, I would never have experienced this growth; all glory be to God!
Having said that, I am so on fire for the Lord and want to spread his love and his glory everywhere! For this past year especially, God has put a special desire on my heart to learn about different cultures, Spanish, and geography! This was a relatively new desire for me, and I could not figure out why God was putting that desire so strongly on my heart. I prayed for God to give me direction in my life: what he wanted me to do with these desires, my time home, and to convict me on how I can live out his will for me.
When I felt the conviction to go on mission, everything clicked for me: why God had put these desires in my heart and why I felt convicted to stay home this semester. He equipped me and grew me during this time at home, and put these desires in my heart for me to continue living out his will by going on missions and spreading his name and his glory.
In conclusion, I am so excited for this trip, I know this is exactly where God has called me to be, and I can’t wait to see how he uses me.
