Read "Where it all began" for part 1 of my story…
I love hearing stories from people working overseas. Whether it’s stories about rescuing people from injustice or sharing the gospel with others, I am always compelled to jump on a plane. I talked to my dear friend from college (same one that told me about the world race) and she said maybe this was a calling. She is not compelled to jump on a plane when she hears stories. I didn’t realize this feeling was unique. I graduated a semester early from college, which gave me time to go on a mission trip. I wrestled with getting a job in January or spending my extra semester overseas. I decided to do the latter.
Upon graduation from college I was able to do a Discipleship Training School with YWAM (Youth with a Mission). A DTS, is a 5 month program where you spend time learning what it means to be a disciple and then spend time out in the field putting into practice what you’ve learned. It unpacked what following God really looks like and found practical applications. For 3 months, I lived in community with others learning about God and all His glory. I learned about topics I had never through about before, such as spiritual warfare. It was amazing to be immersed in a God filled environment and I learned a great deal about myself.
The director of the base posed a question at the beginning of the school. He asked, “If money was not a problem what would you do with your life?” In silence I said, “I would be a missionary.” I disregarded the thought and reminded myself that I would never be able to raise that sort of money. God had make fundraising less scary when he provided for my DTS, but full time missionary, not possible. About 5 weeks into the school, we learned about a BHAG. BHAG is a term used by business people, which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Guess what I wrote, “supported missionary full time”. Seriously, I didn’t even realize this was such a strong desire of mine. It just kept coming up.
My YWAM team went to China on outreach. We spent 2 months traveling around China. We were able to partner with missionaries in most places and help with a variety of things. We taught English, helped with kids camps, met monks, met college students, and had a fabulous time. I fell in love with China and the character that surrounded us. We were welcomed by the Chinese and met various American workers. I loved the food, loved the worship, and loved being on the other side of the world.
While in China, I contemplated what life in China would look like. By week five, I was making plans to return to China soon. Now, two years later, I am able to travel back to not only China, but ten other amazing countries.
France blog coming soon….
