It’s getting to that point in the race when everyone has to start applying for colleges and making at least some sort of an idea of what they want to do when they get back home from the race. For me that was easy, I already had a plan before the race and I felt as though that was just put on hold till I returned home.
The plan was to go home, go to BSU (Bemidji State University) get my generals done, then transfer to the UofM Rochester where I would then get a degree in molecular genetics. I chose this degree because genetics just made sense to me, the whole idea behind it was to help people and to make the diseases that kills people extinct. By changing their genetic make up and completely taking out the disease or illness and making it a thing of the past. But as a Christian I struggled with this degree as well, considering it goes against what we believe in. Saying that God created man then said “it is good!” So why change what he has already created. My answer was, “well I’m helping people, God will understand!”
Here in Ethiopia one of the ministries my team was able to do was reforestation. On the first day we looked around the area, saw where they prepared the dirt, where the seedlings grew, then hiked up a small mountain like hill and saw where they planted them in the summer season. As we were walking up the mountain God gave me back one of my old memories…
When I was a junior in high school, I wanted to leave for just the summer and go work on a horse ranch in either Colorado or Whyoming, and just work there for the summer teaching people how to ride. But I thought “no that was to far from home, and for far to long”, which is crazy to think about now considering I’m about 7,600miles away from home, and yet this seems closer. But that was just a dream and it didn’t bring me closer to a degree so I put the dream away.
When we were at the top of the mountain at the reforestation sight God clearly spoke to me and said, “What if I made that dream a reality?” And after that he just kept pouring in to me more and more about what that would like….
He told me “what if I created for you, your own ranch? Where people came there to learn how to ride, or big business came for retreats, and also had horse therapy with veterans, children with disabilities, and patients in hospitals. Now what if I created this place for you to also invite your family into this as well. Mya can do the business side of things, Haley can work with the therapy horses seeing how that has already been a huge part of her life, and Meray who wants to be an architect can design the entire property. All the while we disciple to those coming into the ranch and creating it as a safe place to come and just rest, learn, and just have fun in Gods presence. What’s great about this place, other than it being completely God, is that it doesn’t have to be for just the wealthy, or for the people who need help. If someone just wants to simply learn how to ride, or even just be in a place they can call there own, they are welcome to come on in.”
I still had confusion in this though. I know for a fact that he has given me this vision and that he would bless me in it, but I couldn’t help but think about all the work and money that would have to go into this just to get it started. Also would others understand? It’s not what you would call a “well paying job”. Also being a geneticist I would be able to change people and make them feel good or even cure that disease that wiped out all their ancestors. Then God gave me a few verses…
“The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.””
??Exodus? ?4:11-12? ?NIV??
“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”
??2 Corinthians? ?12:7-10? ?MSG??
This made me realize that I don’t have to “fix” anyone because God created them that way, but instead I can help them come to the realization of just how powerful and meaningful they are to those around them and to God himself.
I then stopped saying yes to the path of Genetics and saying “‘well I’m helping people, God will understand!”’. To then saying “Ok!” to the plan that God has for me with horses, people, and my family. It won’t be easy but I know God will make it worth it!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
