Hey y’all!
My name is Ellen Wood, and I am a 17-year-old high school senior. I am passionate about Jesus, international missions, and demonstrating God’s perfect love to a hurting world. I also really love sunflowers, coffee, Costa Rica, big t-shirts, and UK basketball (GO CATS!). I am crazy about my home state of Kentucky, but the next year of my life will be spent halfway across the world living, loving, and serving in India, Malaysia, and Zambia. Why?
Because God is faithful to those who love Him. He cares deeply about the desires of His children’s hearts– and ever since I was fifteen, my desire has been to proclaim the Good News to His children in other parts of the world. God put missions on my heart two years ago and has been growing that passion in me ever since.
During the spring break of my sophomore year, I went on my first international mission trip to rural Costa Rica, and fell in love. Crazy in love. The people, the place, the culture, and the stories took hold of my heart and captivated my soul. My smile stretched the widest when I was worshiping in the little wooden church, my feet felt most at home standing on the Costa Rican soil, and my heart felt the fullest when I was talking in my broken Spanish about the reckless love of God. I wanted to stay forever.
But obviously, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I returned home, and had no clue how to process the call that I had received. I bawled in the car, slammed my bedroom door in my mom’s face, and proceeded to stay in bed for three days. After my little episode, I got out of bed and tried to push missions far out of my mind. I compartmentalized, and didn’t let myself think about this crazy thing that God had placed on my heart. I went about my regular life and pretended that everything was fine, and nothing about me had changed. But beneath the surface, missions were always in my heart and constantly on my mind.
For a while after that, I was somewhat able to ignore the fact that God was calling me to go. But then, during a car ride with my small group leader who speaks truth into my life way too often and sometimes knows me better than I know myself (hey Caroline! I know you’re reading this), something happened to that made me unable to ignore the call any longer. She said to me “I know who you are, and I see the way you love people, and I think that you’re going to be a missionary. That’s just what I see you doing.”
And I could finally breathe again. Her words filled me with hope, because someone had spoken aloud the thing that I had been thinking about for a while. I truly believe that in that moment, God used her to speak to me. He was affirming to me what my heart had known to be true all along- I was supposed to go and serve and love. With just two sentences from a friend, God broke down the shell that encompassed my heart. After hearing her words, I finally let myself be open to the call, and all the feelings and thoughts that came along with it. And I found freedom in that openness. I didn’t have nailed-down, picture-perfect plans anymore, but I had something greater. I had a higher purpose that He was calling me to, and a knowledge of the fact that He held my future in His hands.
My new openness to the call led me to a Nicaragua mission trip with Adventures in Missions, a trip back to Costa Rica with my home church, and a decision to commit to the World Race Gap Year all within the span of four months. I gave God the room to move in my heart, and move He did.
So that’s where I am right now. Following God into the unknown, and kind of figuring it all out as I go along. I don’t know what my World Race experience will be like, but my heart is open. I don’t know what I will do after the Race, but my heart is open. I don’t know where I will eventually end up, but my heart is open. I couldn’t have less of a clue what my future looks like, but my heart is open. And through it all, I have a peace that surpasses all understanding, because I have a God who has every detail of my life planned out. And for that, I am beyond thankful.
For the Kingdom, Ellen
