Being raised in a small town in Montana (until I was 12) nurtured in me a desire for adventure! Having the open country at your finger tips you grow up outdoors exploring! Whether shooting guns, hunting for rattlesnakes or floating the Missiouri River adventure was close at hand and allowed me to nurture the courageous part of myself and taught me to dream BIG. Also, in a small town the sense of community is like nowhere else. The pace and way of life allows people to focus on what is really important like faith, family and knowing your neighbors (and letting them know you). I feel growing up in this environment had a huge impact on my personal values and desires and the path my life would take.
My family and I moved away from that small town just as I entered my teens (to Seattle) and a new world opened up to me. My people-person personality was REALLY put to the test and developed as I had to make new friends in a community with a popluation more than 50 times the size of what I was used to. It was difficult. At times very difficult and lonely but I am grateful for the way it developed a compassion in me towards those who were lonely, uncomfortable, and on the outside.
Mid-way though college I backpacked Europe with a couple friends. With my first step on foreign soil I felt more ALIVE then ever before and knew, at that moment, that I would never be the same.This trip proved to be a challenging and thrilling experience for me and even after 3 months of living on a sad budget and out of a smelly back pack I wanted to keep going FOREVER. While others were ready to get home to their beds and families, I was just getting started, and if I had had more budget I may still be there now:)
A few years later I went to Australia where I lived with a friend for 6 months. I made a stop-over on the way home in Fiji where I remember having a very CLEAR epiphany about my future. My heart was feeling heavy because I had just left Australia and the wonderful people I had met there and after only a few days I would be leaving Fiji and the wonderful people I had met there. The Fijian Islands are spectaularly beautiful and undoubtly serve as paradise for those of us who can leave again. But while I was there I got to see the REAL parts of the country too. Like the poverty and the isolation and how these beautifully colorful and smiley people lived with nothing but the sun-faded clothing on their backs. Away from the picturesque beaches the citys were very dirty and crowded and a long way from “a romantic getaway”. On my last day while waiting for the bus back to the airport ( a 2+ hour ride) I was watching a group of georgous children play in the dirt street and I prayed for my broken heart over leaving. I didn’t want to go back to the drone of everyday life I was used to. I desired more adventure and more “real” encounters and relationships with the world’s people. As I sat there praying, watching the kids it hit me. Why couldn’t I do that? I didn’t know when, where or how, but I KNEW at that moment that I needed to live along side those “less fortunate”. I KNEW that my heart felt more alive and at home in a third world country, loving people whom I could barely communicate with, than back in Seattle in my privilaged life. I spent the rest of that afternoon and the entire bus ride to the airport with tears in my eyes. My heart was breaking and yet was all aflutter over my realization. I think about that moment all the time.
Over the last couple years I have only become more and more sure of my desire to share a LIGHT with those who need help and travel has continued to be on the forefront of my mind. I moved to San Francisco a year ago with my sister and it has been amazing in putting things in motion. Moving to a new city has been so cool. I love the adventure of discovering a new place and meeting new people, and really coming into my own as an adult. In beautiful San Francisco however, I ran into some heartache I didn’t expect. This broken heart led me to really evaluate what I wanted to be doing with my life and what was in San Francisco for me? While spending time with friends in Seattle over Christmas a friend mentioned Missions to me and I thought YES. It clicked. This is the time.
I went home and immediately shared my plans with my family who responded “awsome, do it”, like it was no big surprise. So I got online and began looking into missions opportunities. A week or so later after inquiring about a handful of other trips, I came across the World Race. When I did…the INSTANT I did…God confirmed in me YES, this was it. I had been praying for a trip JUST like this( specifically 6 months to a year long ) without knowing the specifics for many years. He knew the specifics.
It is so cool to look back at this process and remember feeling God’s nudge so clearly. I know without a doubt that this trip will CHANGE my life, and hopefully the lives of those I reach in the name of Jesus. I am so honored to be a part of this! There is NOTHING else in the world that I’d rather be doing from August 09 to July 2010!!!
