Helloooo!!!! If you don’t know me, my name is Emily! It’s nice to meet you! Soooo, some exciting news- I am going on a World Race Semesters trip to Thailand and Cambodia this September! EEkk! Okay, so this is my first blog post so bear with me :), but basically I want to address what this trip is, why I am going on it, and how I got to this point. Let’s get into it!
Okay so backing up to when I was applying for college about 3 years ago, I was just very uncertain. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, or what I would study, or if there was something else out there for me… I was feeling very lost and confused. I ended up coming to Texas A&M University and it was definitely the right move for me at the time. God set it up perfectly with my awesome roommate and church family. Coming to college has opened doors for me to encounter God like never before. I loved God as much as I knew to, and had given my heart to him when I was 8 years old, but I mean like, I was 8. I had no idea what that meant or looked like to follow Jesus. But over the past 2 years, I have been able to see what that actually looks like, and God has used it all to stir my heart for more and more of him.
So fast forward a little to August 2018, the first semester of my sophomore year. I had just spent part of my summer working as a counselor at a Christian outdoor adventure camp and it was amazing. Everyday was about giving all of myself to Jesus, to my girls in my cabin, it felt like I was truly living. It was extremely hard for me to come back to school after that. If that is what it felt like giving everything to Jesus, then why was I settling for anything else? I wrestled with that question a lot as I began to look up different study abroad opportunities or mission trip outlets whether that be through Adventures in Missions, or YWAM, etc. I began keeping up to date with all of the new trips that would come out, yet that is all I would do. I couldn’t get past just thinking “what if..”, but I also couldn’t shake the feelings. I was really just searching for anything that would broaden my horizons, draw me closer to Jesus. Being 100% honest, I just wanted to feel alive again. I was feeling like less and less of myself and wanted a change. I spent a lot of time just sitting in God’s presence trying to figure out which feelings were from my own dissatisfaction with my life, and which were from God. At that time, I had been reading through Joshua and Matthew. It was all about giving everything to follow Jesus, leaving behind the comfortable and the safe, giving every breath, every step to him. I didn’t know how to do that, but I wanted to know. I wanted more.
Right before winter break this past year, a lot of stuff came up with my friends and my family where I felt like I just couldn’t leave. People needed me. I pretty much stopped looking for open doors and resided to just keep going along with my everyday. However, God has used this time to reach parts of my heart I was trying to hide. He has taught me that no matter my circumstances, it is in his presence alone that there is fullness of joy. It doesn’t depend on the place. He’s the one that satisfies the deep longings of my heart. Nevertheless, it has been realllll tough.
After coming back to school from winter break, I attended a conference all about God’s heart for the nations. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it ended up exceeding all of the expectations I did and didn’t have. I left knowing that I had to make a move, I couldn’t wait any longer. I was convicted that I had been using my circumstances that I thought needed me (lol) as an excuse to mask what was actually fear. So, I immediately went home and just applied. That has been the scariest part so far, to be honest. So I just did it. I prayed and prayed that it would be super clear whether or not I should go, and yall, it was soooo clear. After being accepted, I can look back and see all of the ways God has been teaching me to trust him, have faith, let go of fear, and just say yes.
So that’s how I got to where I am today! I am definitely still scared and in no way have anything figured out haha. But I am so thankful and just so in awe of God’s goodness. So, like I mentioned earlier, the trip I am going on is to Cambodia and Thailand for 3 months beginning this September. My team and I will be partnering with already active organizations serving orphans!!!! Yall! That is also a huge part of my story. My family has adopted 3 kiddos and it has been one of the most amazing experiences of all time. Like I don’t even have words. I can write a different post about that later. But basically, my heart beats for orphans! I mean, obviously it beats for Jesus but you know what I mean. In Isaiah 61 it talks about how God has anointed Jesus (Messiah literally means “anointed one” so cool) to bring bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to give people a beautiful headdress instead of ashes and the oil of gladness instead of mourning. This is the purpose behind this whole trip!! My heart is just to be WITH people, mothers, daughters, children. In verse 11 it says “For the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteous and praise to sprout up before the nations.” Yall! This is happening all over the world!! The time is now!!
So to wrap this up because it is way longer than I had anticipated (lol), I am not sure exactly what God is going to do on this trip but I am so excited to find out. I believe he is going to just blow it all out of the water. He provides in abundance!! In the end, I just want more of him. There are whole pieces of his heart out there, and I don’t want to miss those by staying here in my little bubble. So with that being said, I am taking a little break from school to give everything over to Jesus.
I spent a lot of time just waiting around when really God was inviting me in this whole time, I just had to say yes. I don’t know what that looks like for you, but I pray that you say yes too. I’m still at the very beginning of saying yes but, let me tell ya, it’s the best. I hope you stick around to see all that God will do!! (you can subscribe to get notifications) Now, into fundraising I go! I hope you all have the very best day!!
Emily 🙂
