Hey guys!
Many have been asking me about a blog, and I decided that it is time to give everyone an update about my upcoming journey. If you haven’t already heard, I will be going on a 9-month mission trip to 3 different countries through a program called the world race gap year. Some of the things that I might be doing include working with orphans, teaching English, ministering to young women stuck in prostitution because of human trafficking, and spreading Jesus’ love to these places.
One of the main reasons that I wanted to write this entry was because as they find out about this adventure, lots of people have been asking me, “how did you make this decision?” or, “yea but how did you know that this was the right thing for you to do?” And to be quite honest, I think that I’ve given pretty crappy answers to these questions. I think I may have said something like “well I knew I wanted to do this at some point, and if I want to do this I have to do it now”, or “I just needed more time to think about the future.” I’ve been thinking about why these questions were so hard to answer for me. And then I realized that they were so hard to answer because the reality is that this was God’s plan for me from the start, I just didn’t know it. The answers that I have given may be true, but they are not the reason that I am going on this trip and pausing my plan for college for a year. It wasn’t my decision to make. I cannot ultimately attribute this decision to myself, because I am going on this trip because of Him.
It’s crazy how God’s timing is so perfect. As I contemplated the answers to these questions, my friend Colleen told me I had to read a book called “Kisses from Katie,” a story of how God wrecked the plans of a senior in high school and used her for His glory in Uganda. She says in her book, “What I have learned is that I can do nothing incredible, but as I follow God into impossible situations, He can work miracles in and through me.” This speaks so much to me because it emphasizes the importance of how incredibly useless I am without God. I am innately flawed, and I can do nothing incredible on my own. Preparing for this journey that lies ahead, I will trust that God will work miracles in and through me. God has sparked a fire and a desire in me to be a vessel for His love, and I cannot wait to spend 9 months wherever He leads me.
This journey is going to be way out of my comfort zone… the other day I was reading a list of “do not go on this trip IF” and “IF you hate spiders, snakes, and other strange bugs” was one on the list. I thought to myself “what am I getting myself into”… but honestly that is partly what gets me excited. It is so so far out of what is comfortable and what I am used to, but I know that this is when God will use me the most. I am unbelievably excited to let go and let God work in my life and in the lives of the people that I will be serving.
Leaving a life with a wonderful family and friends who love and support me for 9 months isn’t going to be an easy task. It’s going to be painful, and it’s going to seem impossible sometimes. But as much pain and sadness that I will experience, there are thousands of orphans I will visit experiencing more pain than I could fathom. There are thousands of kids I will visit who do not know God and will never have the luxury and freedom of religion that you and I have. There are thousands of kids I will visit who will never know what a warm shower feels like; will never live in a community where owning a car is expected, or where they are constantly complaining because they “ate too much”. I have been so blessed throughout my life with parents that have loved and cared for me in ways that I will never be able to thank them enough for. I have been given the opportunity to learn, to eat, to be safe, to be cared for, and to worship God and all of His wonderful creations. My hope is that I am able to impact even just a few of God’s beautiful people so that they may know how much they are loved. I want to love His people like He loves us. I’m not going to go to these countries and cure all diseases and eliminate all poverty. I’m going to share the love that I have experienced my whole life. I am going because I want to live for God and abandon what makes me comfortable so that I can truly witness what God has to show me.
As I continue to prepare for this mission trip, prayers and encouragement are much appreciated… I would not be able to do this without support from not only my incredibly supportive parents but also all of you. I will keep you guys updated, and I can’t wait to share more of my journey with you!
“God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control”
~2 Timothy 1:7~
