Lately, I have been spending some time reflecting a bit on my journey as a Christian. I thought about focusing on my time in Morocco, but my faith journey began way before coming here (and I will save a sappy Morocco post until I am closer to actually leaving- after all I’ve still got awhile left here)!
I grew up in an amazing family, going to church on Sundays (or Saturday nights at the lake), surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents in the pews next to me. Family and faith were the most important things in my life, and this was instilled in me at a young age.
Fast forward a few years, to high school 🙂 The fun years! (Can you sense the sarcasm?) High school was a bit of a difficult ride for me… I wanted to fit in badly, and I basically followed around my peers, without really establishing my own identity. Being an athlete was part of who I was during that time in my life, but having five knee surgeries in three years made that difficult to rely on. When I couldn’t play sports, I basically lived for youth group/ Sunday school. From middle school through my junior year of high school, we had an amazing youth director at our church who just really encouraged me in my faith. Even though I wasn’t necessarily living the life I wanted to live during the school week, there was something that kept drawing me back to youth group each week (even if I was attending church in jeans and a hoodie).
Alright, so after high school, I was onto Hope College! What an incredible, transforming four years for me. I remember coming home, maybe after sophomore year or so, and my parents saying to me, “You’ve stopped just following your friends.” At Hope, I was really able to recognize God’s vision for my life, and by my senior year, I was confident that I wanted to be a teacher and that I wanted to help others in need. During my time at Hope I had gone on service trips to East Palo Alto and Guatemala, as well as taught on an Indian reservation in one of the most poverty-stricken counties in the Unitd States. These trips confirmed my desire to work with the least of these. I had also been able to join some on campus Bible studies, which helped me become more confident in sharing my spiritual walk with others.
Four years later, I am writing this blog, in my final- and-fourth year (!!!) – of teaching in Morocco. I mentioned that college was transforming, and it was, but my time in Morocco has been absolutely life changing! Four years ago, I came to Morocco certain that I was following God’s call (I will probably write more about that in another post)- and I still believe I was. However, I thought He wanted me here just to be a teacher – as well as to travel, make friends, experience a new culture, etc. It turns out that God had bigger plans. I never would have thought that living in a muslim country, God would be so at work in my life. Each week I have attended church services with people from all over the world! I have formed friendships with people who have challenged me in my walk and who have taught me what it means to really live out my faith. I am beyond excited to take these experiences and the lessons that I’ve learned living here, as I know they will stay with me for the rest of my life. I only imagine the kinds of things God has in store for this next year!
Thanks for your continued prayers and support. If you would like to hear more about my story, my experience in Morocco, or what I will be doing next year, you can email me at [email protected]. I would also love to buy you a cup of coffee and sit and chat when we are in the same country! 🙂
