For seven years now, God has given me a desire to do missions overseas. The closer i grow to God, the heavier the burden for the lost becomes. It isn’t so much about the WHERE of missions…as the WHOM. God’s heart beats for His people; thus so should mine.
About nine months ago at the beginning of 2009, I began an internship with my church in Hebron, MD. It was meant to give you hands-on experience in ministry…what really goes on behind the scenes of the church. About 2 months into the internship I had a conversation with my good friend Rachel Queen. We were talking about life and where we were in this post-college world of trying to figure out the answer to the big question. You know….that question that everyone loves to ask and in turn answer… “WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT?” Rachel and I proceeded to dream with each other about the potentials in our own worlds. (We even talked about applying for this dream job sweepskates in the Pacific Realm. lol. really. ) She threw out the idea of the World Race to me saying that I would love it. I heard never heard of it, so as we talked I looked at the website….long enough to see that I would have to raise close to $15,000. I said NO WAY! and proceeded to the next idea, completely forgetting about the World Race. There was just no way I could raise that much money, nor did I even want to attempt it. Not at all.
<5 months of the internship>
We are now at the beginning of July…it was decided that the internship would end at the end of August. So I began to pray and seek potentials for WHAT TO DO NEXT. Two days…count them with me….1,2… after finding out the internship would be over soon, I was on facebook like normal when I saw an advertisement on the side. You know that side of facebook where “they” put links to things “they” know you would like or have clicked on in the past. And that day…..because I don’t typically look at them…one caught my eye. It was a link for sharing the Gospel in 11 countries in 11 months. I clicked on it and spent the next couple of HOURS reading everything on the World Race site. I read
blogs,
the parents’ selection (B/c I knew my parents wouldn’t like me leaving, but wanted to make sure they would somehow be at ease.), researching the organization: its history & beliefs,
watching the videos
….and I was captured. I had read that it cost close to $15,000 but I believed that if it was God’s will, He’d make a way. I was open…willing. So I prayed a little more and started the application at the same time. I’ve always been told that
“God steers a MOVING car, not a PARKED car.”
So I prayed that if God didn’t want me to go on this trip that He’d close and lock the door and not even let me get accepted. While I applied, I also met with my pastor and asked for his ok and advise. Anyone who has spent significant time around Pastor Marc knows that he doesn’t just pat everyone along who wants to go on a mission trip….you must be ready & sharing the gospel in the USA. Though I was pretty confident about the trip and my readiness, I was a bit shaky walking in to talk to him. I knew it would be a tale-tale sign for me…..and clearly I didn’t tell him that…til afterwards. After I told him about the trip, he said, “All I keep hearing is ‘you NEED to go.’ “ I was so shocked, happy, & blown away. So I had my phone interview the next week and got accepted! In weeks 2.5 weeks my life changed! (I realized at some point during those weeks, that I had visited the site before and told God no. ha.) It felt like I blinked and all the sudden I was living another life...the life I had always dreamt of!
Like I said earlier, I always knew I would do missions overseas. But this trip…with the world race. This is EXCESSINGLY, ABUNDANTLY, ABOVE all that I could have EVER asked for or imagined (Eph 3:20) and it is truly only gonna be done by the power of God WITHIN me. PRAISE GOD!!!
