“I think a lot about leaving these days. About what’s next. About adventures and packed bags and far away places. I’m back to the need to wander and I wonder if I’ll ever not feel the tug. God, bind my heart to you. Lead me and keep me on your path. I trust you. Get me where I need to go, whether it’s a mission trip across the globe or a desk job back home in Texas or right where I am. More than anything Lord, I pray that when you call me, you will give me the courage to go. “
I keep going back to those words, handwritten in the same journal I open and close every night. Pink ink. So light a color for such heavy thoughts. At the time I wrote them, maybe they didn’t seem so heavy, so bold.
But then I got a call.
On a Tuesday afternoon on my way out of the office I was told that I had been accepted to The World Race route leaving in January. I was shocked. I couldn’t process it. A far-off, distant possibility that I sometimes liked to daydream about was now a real opportunity. I wasn’t ready for this, I wasn’t prepared. I can not possibly raise $16,000 in 6 months. I can’t just leave Maryland, my job, the farm, my family…..
Okay God, I see what you did there.
Are you ever really ready for a call like that? I’m scared. Of the dollar amount. Of the distance. The time. The medical complications and the paperwork and the leaving. I spent the next few days just processing what this could mean for my life and trying to figure out if it was even possible. And all the while my mind and my heart kept straying back to those pink words in my journal.
It’s human nature to pray for rain and then hide from the storm. It’s human nature for me to ask for God’s leadership and then not want to follow. I’m not ashamed of being scared of this opportunity. But I also refuse to let it pass. So, here’s the part where I go. Where I pick up my cross and follow. Where I trust God’s plan and walk on.
Starting now, I will be fundraising for a mission trip to 11 countries in 11 months. In January, I will pack a backpack and get on a plane and spend a month at a time serving in each country I visit: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho. The work will be different in each place, but the constant goal will be to share the love of the Lord with everyone I come into contact with.
I’m going to need support. Any prayers, kindness, or funds you can send my way will be greatly needed and appreciated. You can keep up with me and support me right here on this blog.
Life is about to get real interesting as I prepare to leave everything that doesn’t fit in my pack and sleep in a tent for a year. I can’t wait to share my journey with everyone who reads this blog. THANK YOU for being wonderful.
we’ll talk soon,
Jenn
