Hello everyone!! Welcome to my first blog post! I am super excited to share this journey with all of you and I appreciate all of your love and support. For my first post I thought it was only fitting to share how God called me on this crazy and exciting journey…
Since entering high school I had my life figured out, or so I thought I did. I decided I wanted to go to nursing school, get my RN, and then start my life. It sounded like a reasonable plan, but the problem was it was MY plan. Fast forward to the beginning of my senior year. God began to put a gap year on my heart. Surprisingly, I had this peace about putting my plans on hold and seeking God’s will for my life.
I knew that the only thing I would want to do that year was missions, so I began to look into different organizations. The first one was the World Race. A girl from my church had done the gap year program through the World Race and I thought it was such an awesome opportunity but I could never do it. (hint: never tell God never 😉 I looked into the World Race Semester trips and felt that was more in my reach. Again, MY reach. So, I decided I would do the Semester trip the first semester of my gap year and do some sort of local missions the second. I continued to pray for assurance, clarity, and an open door for the second semester, and boy did He answer.
At the end of December 2018, I was sitting in church one Sunday when God laid something on my heart like I have never felt before. My pastor was teaching a sermon on being a light and he said nothing about missions, or a gap year, or really anything directly associated with me but all of sudden I felt God saying, “9 month mission trip,” in my head. I knew what he was talking about and I had this deep sense of urgency inside me. I found myself looking into the 9-month routes in the middle of the service and felt this deep calling to go. This was not my plan and the thought of leaving my family and friends for 9 months was not what I wanted. But I began praying on it and the more I prayed the more I felt God telling me to go. The next week at church I continued to feel God telling me to apply, and at the end of the service my pastor said, ” What is God calling you to do? Maybe you know what God is calling you to do and you just need to say yes.” God was calling me to go so that is exactly what I’m doing. I will be spending 9 months loving God’s people in Costa Rica, Cambodia, and Swaziland!!
Ever since applying and getting accepted God has continued to open doors and provide in incredible ways. My heart has grown from one rooted in fear and desiring control to one excited to see God use my weakness to show off His strength.
ALSO!! I have already surpassed my first financial goal and am over 1/3 of the way to my final goal!! Thank you all for your financial and emotional support. My heart is overflowing with gratitude and joy and it had been so awesome to see God working. Thank you for your prayers and support!!
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8
