It’s a Tuesday morning at 9:45, and I’m working at a coffee shop in Gainesville, GA – at a table next to my boss.
I want to share with you the incredible story of how God has moved in my life over the past few years. It’s kind of a complicated story with some twists and turns (because sometimes that’s how God works, right?!) – so pull up a chair and a coffee, get cozy – and join me in story time!
It’s September of 2017 and I’m doing something I only dreamed I’d be doing a few short years ago. You see, in August of 2015, I prayed about a job that would combine two passions of mine – storytelling and missions. I’d applied to work at Amazima Ministries in Uganda working as a videographer for their ministry, and that fell through. I couldn’t find *any other jobs that combined both storytelling and missions, and thought it was a lost cause. I thought it was an impossible dream.
As almost a backup, I applied to go on the World Race in January of 2016. The World Race seemed too good to be true, and that scared me. 11 countries in 11 months equally excited and freaked me out – to the point where, after I’d signed up, I’d wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. 11 months sounded like such a long time to be away from family and friends back home. Not to mention, I didn’t understand the discipleship aspect of the Race, and I wanted to do something that focused completely on the ‘giving back’ part, and less on the part where I grow. Little did I know how important the discipleship part is to giving back. A truth I learned on the Race is that you have to be filled up in order to pour out. I also felt selfish for wanting to do something that feel so adventurous and fun. And – I wanted to focus on storytelling, something I didn’t think I could do on the Race (cue hysterical laughter if you know what I’m doing now). But I felt God’s hand in it all, and I felt like he was urging me to take that step into starting what would be the biggest adventure of my life.
Then at Training Camp – I was selected to be a Storyleader for my squad – a position I wasn’t even aware of when I signed up for the race. 
Training Camp – October 2015
I watched incredible videos by Johnfrank and read blogs by storytellers Hope Mendola and Stephanie May Wilson and realized that there were incredible opportunities to tell stories on the World Race. And a few short months later, I started telling my own stories about the crazy and incredible things God was doing around the world that I had the opportunity to witness – like “The Day the Fish Multiplied”, “The Day the Holy Spirit Took Over my Classroom in Cambodia” and putting together videos like “the smile project.”
The day the Holy Spirit took over my classroom in Cambodia – summer 2016
The day the fish multiplied in Cambodia – summer 2016
In the most unexpected way possible, God was fulfilling my storytelling dream – and my dreams of traveling and giving back . And he was doing so much more in the process. He was teaching me more about my identity, more about my self worth. Helping me find healing and forgiveness for things that had hurt me in my past. Teaching me about feedback and conflict resolution and how to love others in community. Learning more about the Holy Spirit and Listening Prayer – and making my relationship with Jesus living, breathing and tangible. The Lord was taking my limited, short-sighted ideas and giving me a smorgasbord of incredible blessings.
Storytelling on the Race – Thailand, 2016 (photo cred: Ryan Weathington)
Tuk tuk adventure in Cambodia, 2016 (photo cred: Josh Davis)
You see, when we start following the Holy Spirit, things get crazy. Celtic Christians call the Holy Spirit “The Wild Goose” – and I’ve been on a wild goose chase since that first prayer back in August of 2015. I’ve had the blessing of watch others on their own wild goose chases, too. John 3:8 compares the Holy Spirit to the wind. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Working at Adventures has been nothing short of a miracle. At the end of my Race, recognizing that jobs in storytelling ministry are few and far between – I’d moved on to following a new dream God had put on my heart of starting a nonprofit in Haiti (that story here).
Home from the Race – November 2016
And just when I’d started down the path of creating my nonprofit – Project Seachlight happened (6 weeks after I returned home from the Race). There, the unthinkable happened! I was offered a job to go back out on the field to disciple Racers in Storytelling. I knew God was all over that, and so 2 weeks later I was leaving for a 4 month trip traveling with a squad to 6 countries. Talk about a whirlwind! Read more about that here.
The Lord also brought me back to some of the same countries I felt like He was calling me back to on my original race – Malaysia, Thailand, and Madagascar. He redeemed a bad experience I’d had in South Africa and helped me see the beauty of the country – and brought me to a few new countries – one being Swaziland, a country the Lord had been speaking to me about for a few years. I’d been bummed it wasn’t on my original route in 2016 – but it was the first country I went to with R Squad in 2017! Talk about cool.
With the leadership of R Squad and Fusion in Malaysia – Spring 2017
Speaking to R Squad about Storytelling – Swaziland, February 2017 (photo cred: Jewels Vrabel)
But there was my conundrum. I knew I was right where God wanted me to be and was fulfilling a dream and prayer I’d prayed way back in September 2015, but I also knew that God had put my Haiti nonprofit on my heart too. I had NO idea how he would pull those two dreams together… But of course, he had a plan all along. In March, I was asked to join the team at Adventures in Gainesville after I returned home in May – to start a new department called World Race Storytelling. Was this really happening? Was I really asked to start a completely new department at an organization I respected and loved – a department that combined storytelling and missions?
Connect.The.Dots. God was connecting the dots of things that were seemingly random and unconnected. But that’s just how he works, isn’t it? My eyes tear up even thinking about the answered promises and prayers.
New job at Adventures in Missions – Summer 2017
Speaking at WR Training Camp – Summer 2017 (photo cred: dani izac)
Flash forward to today – me sitting in a coffee shop at a table next to my boss. I have three bosses – Bill Swan, Bob Mudd, and Seth Barnes. Three men I respect and look up to, and who pour into me and help me develop as a leader. I’m living out my dream – combining missions with storytelling – and helping shape the culture at Adventures in Missions and on the World Race to view storytelling AS ministry. How cool is that?! Racers see incredible things of what God’s doing around the world and have an incredible opportunity to share it with those back home. It’s my job to make sure they are sharing those stories and giving them the tools to do it – whether it’s helping them grow in writing, videography or photography. And helping them move through roadblocks like insecurity and comparison.
My life is unlike anything I could have crafted myself. God knew exactly what I needed and by saying “yes,” he gave it to me. I make my own schedule – I can work from coffee shops or home, I’m doing something I’m incredibly passionate about, and I live in a crazy cool community that I love. I have closer and deeper friends overall than in any stage of my life. And I’m able to grow spiritually and emotionally in amazing ways because of the community where I live.
Watching the eclipse with Adventures friends – Summer, 2017 (photo cred: Justin Wong)
The best part? My three bosses have committed to helping me start my nonprofit in Haiti. What?! I know! Three people who have incredible knowledge and wisdom who will help me achieve my Kingdom Dream – all while doing something I love in the meantime?! INSANE! But that’s how the Holy Spirit works. He’s wild like the wind. He’s a wild goose. And I’m on a wild goose chase.
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