A year ago I probably would have straight out laughed if someone were to say I would become a missionary. I guess I just didn’t quite get the whole idea of it. It baffled me to hear about “normal” people deciding to go off and live in some random country, abandoning their comfortable life in America to preach the gospel to the nations. I never really understood how that direction from God would be made so clear for a person to actually follow through with it – and I definitely believed this type of call was not intended for me. But I guess, what do I know, because God had a totally different idea in mind for my life!
I never had many strong believers as friends but recently, after deciding to get more involved in my church, I began to surround myself with people my age who shared with me some incredible mission trip experiences. These testimonies impacted me more than I could grasp and slowly I started to feel the Lord nudging me to go check it out as well. Right around that same time (God’s timing in action!) my church announced a missions trip to South Africa that would take place over Christmas & New Year’s. I felt it almost immediately – I was to be a part of that trip. For the first time I fully desired to be His channel to seek and save the lost. To go and show unconditional love. To put my own selfishness aside. For “we know love by this, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed or truth.” (I John 3:16-18)
That two week trip to South Africa required a huge leap of faith and ended up being the best time of my life; life-changing, freeing, humbling, and awakening. I believe God used that experience as a stepping stone to reveal the greater things he has in store for my life and His Kingdom purposes. I am confident that missions is going to be part of my life in some way from now on and that it is part of God’s calling for my life.
Introduction to… The World Race! I will abandon the comforts of my home (hot showers, air conditioning and Starbucks!) for 11 months and, along with my team, will minister as a servant the hope of Christ in 11 different countries around the world. I will abandon my life as I know it and become instead fully dependent on the Lord. I am ready and willing to be Jesus’ hands and feet… to the poor, the oppressed, the orphans, the widows and the beggars. I will find myself in a position where only God can provide; therefore my only option will be to trust Him.
So, I enter in with great faith (the kind that moves mountains!) and confidence that my Lord will provide. I get charged up when remembering the Lord’s words “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is weak in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” (1 Cor. 26, 27) I am stoked to be used by Him and know He will grow me in HUGE ways.
