ome and serve a mighty king who is worthy. I was called to sit myself aside and live to bring Him glory. Unfortunately I fail daily at this. I sat aside my calling for my own self-gain. Fortunate for me He is still chasing and pursuing my heart daily and He has made that pursuit so evident in the past four years. College is an interesting time. We go to college and are expected to graduate and get a job. To get a degree, sit it aside and abandon your plan and others plan for your life is just outrageous. Who would do such a thing? It’s simple just go to school graduate and get a job. That’s what is expected of us. Fortunately for me God let my family and I know that He had a different plan than what the world had for my life. He wanted me to do the unthinkable. Sit aside my degree and just follow His lead.
Going into college I knew my future. I would go to school and come out four years later a licensed teacher. I would then teach right here in America. I was perfectly happy with that plan or so I thought. I planned on satisfying this passion within for foreign missions by simply taking a few short trips on breaks and during summers. Freshman year came and went and I had not taken any of those short trips. I was empty, I had this passion and I was not fulfilling it. I prayed and asked others to pray that God would show me how to use this passion. I knew it was there after spending my past two spring breaks in Mexico and participating in local missions my whole life. I wanted so bad to go outside of America and experience Him around the world, but there I was heading back to school for my sophomore year after a long summer.
September rolled around and I was starving for a change. I ran into my college minister back home and He invited me to a Call to Ministry conference our church would be holding. I knew that God was tugging on my heart but I was so scared to find out that He had a different plan than I did. I wanted to participate in mission trips but abandoning my teaching career was not something I was ready for. I attended the conference and left thinking to myself that it was great but I knew God’s plan for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I kept hearing this voice saying surrender to ministry full time! I want you full time. I have something for you. I pushed it further and further down just hoping it would go away.
January of that same year I attended a passion conference. The whole week was incredible but the last night was a night I will never forget. Louie Giglio spoke from the book of Isaiah. I heard him but I didn’t hear him if that makes since. I heard him talk about this verse: Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” Isaiah 6:8. I knew that it wasn’t Louie speaking to me that night. God was saying, “Please stop fighting me. I have great plans for you, just say here I am send me!” That was it. At the end of the night Louie asked us to stand if we desired to say here I am send me. I stood to my feet with no clue where or when but I knew that he had a great plan. After the conference I took a trip home. I informed my parents that they needed to be praying, God was calling me. I let them know I didn’t know when or where but I knew it was big. Who would have ever imagined tha
t by big He meant beginning with a trip around the world experiencing His works in every corner. This is just the beginning.
I could tell stories for hours about how it is evident that I am called to missions, but you would be here reading for hours. To sum it up, I was called from the beginning of my creation. He spoke it into me. He took my heart and sat it aside. He pursed me and fought for me. He wanted to use His broken creation to bring glory to His name. He wanted me to love and be loved. He chose me.
