As I grow older I find I always get asked the same question. Whether it is from family members I haven’t seen in awhile or somebody I just met. It is always the oh so familiar question of, “So, Karlie what are you doing next with your life?” A few months ago I was reminded of a short segment by Michael Jr. talking about knowing your purpose in life. He was expressing that in order to figure out WHAT to do with your life you need to figure out WHY you are here. Then, once you figure out why God has placed you on earth, your what becomes so much more impactful. So why am I here? I believe God has placed a calling on my life to be in the missions field. To take risks and go places the average human only reads about. For quite some time now I have felt like He has been calling me to something greater, to go out into the nations, and to go beyond the millennial norms. To color outside the lines every now and then and walk by faith. To fully surrender and devote my life to being Jesus to someone each and every day. Furthermore, it has always been a huge passion of mine to lavish God’s love on children living in orphanages. Losing one parent a few years back was extremely tough, so my heart completely shatters for those who have had to grow up without any parents at all. I also have a huge desire to rescue girls from sex-trafficking. To show girls of any age that they are loved by our Creator, valued, and a prized possession. To bring encouragement, empowerment, and truth into every single life I encounter. I have seen too many people hurting out there just to turn a blind eye and my soul is not satisfied clocking into my 9-5 job when I know there are humans that haven’t had an encounter with our Heavenly Father. I want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus which means hanging out with the modern day lepers and sitting with outcasts. I want to live among the broken, the lost, and the misunderstood. Too many times in my life I find myself running away from the people that Jesus ran directly towards, with open arms and no reservations. In 1 Corinthians 9:22 it says, “To the weak I become weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” I want to be anything and everything to this broken world that I may win hearts for His kingdom. I want to have a teachable spirit and be able to answer the call wherever God may lead me.
So, now comes the what. This October, I will be packing up a 50 lb. backpack and embarking on a race around the world, freeing slaves and winning souls for Christ. The “World Race” is a Christian organization I have been accepted to in which I will be partaking on an eleven month missions trip, traveling to eleven different countries that desperately need Jesus. My route will go through Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cambodia, Albania, Serbia, Romania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda. I will be living for one month in each country where I will be able to establish relationships, adapt to a new way of living, and emerge myself in different cultures. A few of the things I will be able to do while away for a year include witnessing to children living on the streets, bring hope to hopeless nations, aid in ending poverty, encourage young girls dealing with teenage pregnancy, reach people being forced into human trafficking, associate with the “untouchable”, visit widows and orphans in their time of distress, evangelize, reach villages without clean drinking water or access to markets and bring them basic necessities of living. I am beyond excited to go into the world and be the hands and feet of Christ in whatever shape or form that may look like. So, if you are wondering what I will do next… you can find me among the lost.
