I’ve always been interested in missions. I grew up listening to stories about Amy Carmichael, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Corrie Ten Boom, the apostles, etc. I was fascinated that men and women of the faith would be willing to go to the ends of the earth so that people who had never heard of Christ would have the opportunity to know the Savior.
People would always ask me what I wanted to do when I “grew up.” I always had two answers. I wanted to be a wife and mom. And I wanted to be a missionary. I wanted to be like those men and women I grew up reading about. I wanted to have the faith to take me places I never thought I would want to go with the sole intention of sharing the gospel. I wanted to see the Lord use me in mighty and powerful ways.
Well, as I got older, the world started influencing me. I saw all the “things,” all the gadgets. And I wanted them. I wanted them so badly. This started my chase into the world. I tried finding jobs that would make me “happy” and give me enough money to waste away. I tried going to school for something I loved doing–cooking and baking–but I found out the reason I loved doing it was because I did it for people I loved. You see, it was a labor of love.
Slowly, the Lord started peeling away my love for the world. He started reminding me that the “things” of this world are just temporary and that it was time to start living for the eternal.
He took me away to North Carolina where He taught me how to truly invest in people, and not just the lost people around me, but He taught me how to invest myself in the Body. And while I was out there, the Lord started kindling the fire in my heart for missions again.
The Lord took me on a short-term trip to Amerika Samoa (AmSam), and that, my friends, is where I got my first true taste of mission work. The culture in AmSam is beautiful and wonderful, but oh so different from here in America. People were open to hearing the gospel. As I worked with a local church there, I was reminded of the call the Lord placed on my life. The call to go. The call to serve with utter abandon. The call to take the gospel to the world. And so I started seeking out options. But at that time, I didn’t find any.
We went through a heartbreaking 8 months watching my dad deteriorate. But through that time the Lord kept giving me joy and peace. He would remind me that He has plans for me to be a part of, even if my dad isn’t here to cheer me on.
Back in August, I started praying that the Lord would take me where He wanted me to go. Whether that meant moving back to Raleigh, moving to another state, staying here in Albuquerque, whatever. I just wanted the Lord’s will to be done in my life.
Mid-October came around and I was talking with Rachel. I had just watched an episode of The Amazing Race with my mom, and I thought it would be cool to maybe do that with Rach one day. So we were talking about The Amazing Race when The World Race came up.
And I knew I needed to look into the Race some more.
So the next day I started to do some research about it and talk about it with my mom. I knew that it could be a possibility, but I just wasn’t sure. I didn’t know if it would be too soon after Dad’s death, but there was one thing I did know for sure. God was going to lead me to make this decision. He was going to be the One to guide me.
So I prayed. And prayed. Oh, and I prayed some more.
And then I applied.
After patiently waiting, I was finally accepted.
My life has always been intertwined with missions. I’ve done several short-term trips. And my parents and family have always been so supportive. They’ve encouraged me and told me that I need to follow after what the Lord has placed on my heart to do.
I can’t wait to go and see how the Lord is going to use me on this trip. I can’t wait to minister to the people around the world. 11 months is a really long time. But. I know the Lord is able to do so much–He can change hearts and lives. And I am praying that He will.
