We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip. Here is my story……
I don’t know if the word “called” is what I would use to describe my experience. I prefer the term “lead.” This is mainly because I didn’t one day hear God or feel God telling me that I was to go on the mission filed/this trip. Instead, it was at least a three-year process, building on itself every few months, slowly being lead in a certain direction. It all really started when I studied abroad in Prague in the spring of 2005. It was during this semester I realized my love of experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, learning the history of other countries, and traveling in general. It was also during my time there and the months to follow that I began to think about maybe someday doing a missions trip longer then a couple of weeks. Maybe. But, it wasn’t until almost two years later that I seriously began thinking about missions. I was walking with my friend Esther around Marblehead, Ma, enjoying the ocean and the quaint streets of the town; yet, I was feeling restless. I remember telling Esther that I wanted to get of Massachusetts, out of New England, and do something different and more important with my life. I was feeling overly content, static, stuck, and I wasn’t feeling challenged. I remember saying something along the lines of “maybe I’ll go to South Africa for a year.” And that idea seemed very appealing to me so I spent the next few weeks researching mission trips to South Africa.
During my search I came across an organization called Adventures in Missions. I actually looked at the World Race and thought, “that’s cool, but I could never do that,” and instead decided on the First Year Missionary program in South Africa. I thought that this was the trip for me. But, the dates ended up not working out and also it really was (is) more geared towards college students. I became frustrated. I put South Africa on the back burner for awhile. I actually started thinking maybe I would go live and work in Australia or New Zealand instead. But, in February (2008) I was at church and the pastor was doing a series on talent and the idea “is talent enough?” This particular week he was speaking on passion and the importance of it in your life. God not only gives you talents but He also gives you passion to use your talents and grow with them. Without passion, your talent(s) aren’t going to bring yourself, others, or God any joy. Passion is the key. Throughout almost the whole sermon I was thinking of how I wanted to go on missions trip and how I wanted to go to South Africa. I decided I would start searching again for programs/mission trips in South Africa. I also decided that I needed to go for 6 months, I wanted to be near Cape Town, and that I wanted to work with an orphanage. I became frustrated again because I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.
It was during this frustration that I decided to look at that World Race thing again. And this time, almost 1 year later, my reaction to what I read was completely different. While perusing the site I felt the same stirring I had felt during the sermon I had heard a few months earlier. Instead of thinking, “I could never do this,” I thought “I need to do this.” I remember reading in the Why the World Race section of the website about the desire to be challenged, the idea of a spiritual pilgrimage, and realizing that the current path I was on was not what I wanted for my life. But, it was so different then what I had been thinking I was being “called” to (an orphanage in South Africa). Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to go on the World Race, it didn’t matter that it wasn’t what I had wanted or what I had thought was wanted of me. So, I decided I would apply and see what happened. If I was accepted then I would go. If not, I would continue searching and praying about what God wanted. And I found out in a nail salon in New Jersey, having just finished my mani/pedi for my friend Dana’s wedding, that I was accepted. I remember being incredibly excited and freaked out at the same time. I remember reading the acceptance email on my cell phone and thinking “Okay God, I am committing myself to this. Help me through.”
And that’s my story.
