Hey, I’m Josie Wenner! I’m 18 years old and currently a senior in high school. My parents are Colleen and Shaun Wenner (best parents in the world), and I have two younger brothers, Ethan (16), and Jordan (14). I have grown up in Florida since 2009 and have been raised in a Christain home since I was born, thank Jesus! I was blessed to have always been surrounded by people who have a passionate love for the Lord, building a solid ground for me to build my relationship with God on. My heart for the Lord now is passionate about sharing the Gospel with the many people that need to hear his works and gracious love he has given us. My relationship with God is also an ongoing process of me working to be as close as I possibly can to him. I want to understand and apply his words to my everyday life.
My personality type is INFP on Myers/Briggs. I love talking to people who are questioning my/their faith. Most of the time when someone of a different/non-religion asks questions, they are the ones who make me question my own faith. They are the ones who ask the in-depth questions that someone who might have grown up in the church may have never even thought about. They have me thinking about how committed to God I really am. This drives my passion to understand the Lord even more.
What He’s called me to do…
I feel called to go out and talk to those who have questions and live out the verse of Matthew 28:19-20,”19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is what he has called all of his people to do. To go out and love others how he loves us with his unconditional love. I believe the World Race is the next step in my walk with God that he is calling me to. To fellowship with fellow believers and to grow closer to him and to get to know him through my other teammates and leaders. I want to grow spiritually and get to know my relationship with God more. I want to understand more of what he can do in my life. I desire to see how he can use me in the uncomfortable moments and pull me out of that zone where he can show people who he is through me. I want to be digging into the word more to understand who God is and the factual things the Bible says to prove his greatness.
Now getting real with my worries about the trip…
My biggest concern is that I won’t choose the route God wants for me. My prayer is for His will. I might be choosing a route out of what I want and not what he desires for me. I am worried about getting sick and going home early. All I want to do is be with the rest of the team and see how God can use me. I know I’ll miss my mom and my dad but hopefully not to the point where I send myself home. I’m scared to even have the thought of wanting to go home. My desire is to stay and work with the programs and help other people. I realize fear can get in the way but I will rely on the Lord and my team to get through it.
God’s still working within me…
I would like to think that I respond with a happy and grateful heart to whatever situation comes my way but in all honesty, there are still parts of me that have to grow and learn to trust God in every situation of my life. I’ve learned that I have to be patient with myself. I need to learn to accept my failures and disappointments that might not always be in my control when it comes to the setbacks in my life. If God can be patient and give me grace, I should be able to give it to myself.
Making His kingdom known…
I’m excited to come into a country with the motivation of making someone smile with the love of God. I want to use the talents God has given me to make a difference in someone’s life, whether it’s simply lending an ear for someone to talk to, or to sing and dance with the children of the countries I am temporarily living in. I want God to change me and use me for bigger and greater things to make his kingdom known.
Thanks for reading about who I am,
Love Yall and Be Bold!
