“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be a light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.” – Matthew 5:14
Have you ever had an experience that changed the way you look at your future? Maybe it was a life changing accident, relationship,conversation, sermon, or trip. After you go through the experience you come out with a new outlook on the world and the life that you want to live. That is exactly happened to me in Summer 2007 when my mom talked me into a trip to Italy with my high school. Little did she know that this trip would change her daughter’s heart for the nations so drastically.
After traveling all around Italy from Milan all the way down to Rome, I knew that when I graduated college I no longer wanted to live in the United States. I find no greater joy then going to a new country and finding everything I can about the culture there. I never like to look like the tourist or draw attention to myself. Even living in Korea, where I stick out no matter what I do, Koreans would ask me if I was part Korean. It was never because of the way that I look, the reason they asked is because I cared about their culture and wanted to learn as much as I could of their language, fashion, trends, or entertainment. They were asking me if I was Korean because I wasn’t as foreign as many foreigners seemed. I was showing them the love that they deserved in a way that they were familiar with. After living overseas for almost 4 years, I cannot express the love I have for Korea and the people who live there. And I feel like with each place I visit, my heart expands to love and understand the people there. And I couldn’t see myself moving anywhere else or pulling myself away from a culture that I had become so comfortable with.
Insert a huge shift in my heart and what I had told myself~
Ministry was not something I had really seen myself doing when I graduated college. Well, of course I knew I would always be a part of a church, but I didn’t think about studying in ministry or focusing my life in learning about proper doctrine. Last year, I had written on the first day of 2016 that I wanted a huge challenge to come, something that would shift my life in a new direction. Boy, did God provide. The Leadership Experience at City Church popped up on my radar June of last year and everything snowballed. I had been listening to the podcasts of the pastor for about two years on my commute to work every day. I was looking at their website one day just to do some research and next thing I know, I’m applying for this internship. In a matter of 2 months, I moved to Seattle where I knew no one and had only visited once for 3 days. Coming into this internship I knew who Jesus was but coming out of it I know who Jesus is to me. Before the internship, I had read the Bible plenty of times but after the internship, the Bible always shows me something new. When I was leaving Korea, I would tell people that I was moving here to study worship and music, little did I know that God wanted to show me all of the gifts that He had given me to give me confidence and find freedom in my worship. I had come to Seattle with little to no expectations because I did not know what to expect. But, through the friendships that I have made here and the words spoken over my life that have encouraged me so much these past 10 months, I can confidently say that I am not the same person that I was coming into this season. Through the classes, leadership, and worship times I am confident in who Jesus is to me and I am confident to stand in front of people and tell them what I know. I am confident that the gifts He has given me are to be used for His glory and they are meant to be shared.
Insert opening in my heart and willingness to go where ever I am called next~
As classes came to an end in my internship, my mind kept going to something that I had thought about a long time ago. Over second semester, 2 Corinthians 8: 10-12 was being read in so many different situations like a sermon, staff meeting, and someone who was meditating on it. It reads like this in the Message version:
“So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t.”
Last year, before I decided to do Leadership Experience, I was seriously considering doing a missions trip called World Race. World Race is a ministry in and supported by Adventures in Missions. They take groups of young people called a squad and they are sent out to 11 different countries in 11 months. In each country, they are there to love and serve the people in any way that they can. Whether it be helping out in churches, orphanages, or schools we serve in any capacity for their needs. We could be building, cleaning, teaching, organizing, singing, dancing, or even exercising (playing sports). But, above all of these, the team is there to show people in these places the love that Jesus has for them. Even when we don’t speak the language, a smile or a prayer could change someone. Throughout second semester, I felt like God was calling me to travel again. For a while I was just waiting for the name of a place to come into my mind or for God to tug at my heart about a certain country. But, the World Race kept popping up on my Instagram and Facebook feed. My first initial thought was,”could I really do this?” But, after a month of praying about it my thoughts changed to,”I am ready for this.” After applying for World Race I knew that my heart was in the right place. I have been accepted to do World Race with a launch date of January 2018. My route includes Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Nepal, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Spain and Morocco. So each month I will be traveling with my group to these countries and serving in towns, villages, and cities. The decision to do this was not spontaneous and I know that at times it will be difficult. I know that God has equipped me for this journey. I have peace in my heart that this is what I am called to do. I am not called to stay in one place for too long and I am blessed with a knack for travel and learning new cultures.
Throughout the rest of this year and into next year I will be trying to learn a new worship song in each language of the countries that we are visiting. This helps me learn more about their cultures and also helps me to just connect with that country on a different level. Sure, a lot of people know English but do you know how amazing it is to sing worship in a different language with native speakers? It just becomes more powerful and it means so much more to them. It just becomes easier for them to let go and find freedom in their worship. I will be posting videos and new blog post in this blog. So, bookmark this website if you want updates throughout the fundraising process and through missions on the field next year! I will update as much as I can! Support letter will be sent out by the end of this month and if you want more information, don’t hesitate to send me a message!
I cannot say thank you enough for your support and your constant love. I hope that you will be praying with me through this process not just for me but for my squad of 30 other people. We are already connected and forming great friendships. I can’t wait for you to come along on this journey with me! Until next time! Love, love, love, love, love, love! *Bruce Almighty reference*
