It was a year ago this past month that I was almost positive that I would lose my job (I didn’t lose it, thankfully). It was a year ago that I notified my rental company that I would not be signing a new lease agreement, and that I would be leaving my apartment. It was a year ago that I moved home with my parents, knowing that God had called me to something else. I just didn’t yet know what it was yet.
I applied for jobs with various mission organizations (i.e. Samaritan’s Purse), and was even made a job offer, but it was temporary, based in NC and I wouldn’t have had health insurance. It quickly became clear that God was saying “no” to that opportunity. I thanked them for the offer, but ended up declining it.
I prayed about it, and started to realize “maybe I am not called to work for a mission organization. Maybe I am called to do mission work.” This led me to look at mission opportunities. Through that search I found an organization called TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance of Missions). They send missionaries all over the world. I found missionary openings based in South Africa, France, and Northern Africa that were of interest to me, and started to go after them.
As I went through the application process for TEAM, I found myself struggling to find time in the day to go through all the phases of their application process. It was fairly extensive, with multiple written applications and multiple phone/Skype interviews. Doing that on top of working full-time, commuting, and attempting to be a daughter/sister/cat mom became difficult at best. Instead of growing the days to accommodate the work required, God was making my days shorter and busier. People at my job were let go, and so I had to take on additional work to cover for their absences. The task of applying for TEAM because unfeasible, and it no longer sat well with me. I got this overwhelming sense that this was not what God was calling me to pursue. I sent a note to my mission coach, thanking her for all her help, and wishing her well.
It was a week or so after I parted ways with TEAM that God brought The World Race into my viewfinder. I had heard of it from two friends who had gone on it before, but really all I knew was the name, and that I would be gone for a long time. I didn’t know much beyond that. As I sat in my bed, shutting down for the night, God prompted me to find their website, so that is what I did. As I scrolled through the trips leaving in August, I came across Route 3. It was the blend of ministries that my team would get to be involved in that really sold me on Route 3.
In each and every one of these countries our ministry work is going to look different. We are going to be living with people of all nationalities, who hold different values, who face different circumstances, whose struggles and trials have wounded them in different ways, who find joys in places I don’t even know to find joy in. I get to be their friend. I get to go to their homes, play with their kids, teach them in schools, talk with them, and be Jesus with skin on for them. That is the real reason I want to do this. I want to give them hope when they don’t have any. I want to love them genuinely when they have never felt love. I want to help them see their value and worth. I want them to know that they were created by a God who loves them deeply, who designed them for relationship, who sees their value and potential, and who has a plan for their lives. I want that to be their story. I don’t want them to live their lives thinking that their circumstances, their families, their governments, their economies, etc. have to define who they are. Jesus can define who they are. In Him they can find freedom, joy, love and true companionship.
My goal is to go on The World Race and to pour out my heart for these people. I want to show them the love of my Savior, and to show them the hope that can be found in Him. I am so excited for this! I am near completion of fundraising. We have less than $3000 left to raise. God is the one who has brought this together, and He is going to finish it with your help.
I am grieving leaving my family and friends, but God is good and He is already providing me with a new family in the form of squadmates. I have met 14 of them thus far, and have another 23 that I get to meet later today. They are going to be my new family for the next year. Please pray for them and for me. Pray that their hearts are also readied for this journey. Lastly, pray that we learn to love and support each other in the ways that we each need. I have a good feeling about them.
Finally, I want to say THANK you! You are my family at home. You are my sending team. You are the ones whose prayers I hang on to, whose words of encouragement and financial support have brought me to tears every single week. I am beyond blessed by you. You fill me up to overflowing. I take you with me in my heart, thoughts and prayers. I love each of you.
With Love,
Liesl
