How how was I called into the mission field??
Unlike many world racers, I have not been outside the US. So how did I a girl from Franklin Ohio, with no extraordinary talents, decide to take that leap of faith into the mission field? I guess it started when I was about 14. I was your typical teenager who was mad at the world. I blamed everyone else for my problems. It was the summer before my freshman year of High school and I was attending a youth retreat at my church. A man who to this day I do not know his name nor have I ever seen him again, was preaching. The words he spoke were so powerful, I felt like he was speaking straight to me! During the altar call I fought with myself to walk up there but I didn't have the courage to, but then he walked back to me. He told me that God knew that I had had sone rough times in my life, and that I had a hard time trusting people because of people who had hurt me in my life. (which is SO TRUE!) He then went on to tell me that God was going to show me a love that I had never experienced before and that I was going to spend to my life loving and helping the hurting. I was going to be a missionary. I accepted Christ into my life that Day. The love that I felt that day was unlike anything I had ever felt. I was forever changed. I wasn't sure about the whole missionary thing but I knew that I had experienced something that would forever change me.
Fast forward a few years and I am 19 years old in my first year of college. I was attending Cincinnati Christian University, majoring in Urban and Intercultural ministry. Due to financial and family issues, I had to leave CCU and go to a community college. I felt so disappointed and that I had let God down. Little did I know that he was just taking me on a journey, all in HIS time! I was working with my home church with the youth group, and we were given the opportunity to go down to Alabama and do a drama for a youth conference. While we were down there we were able to volunteer helping families who had recently had a tornado come through and ruin the city. I had never felt more in my element then I did at that time. I just felt like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. Over the next few years I attempted to go on a number of different missions trips. but every time I tried, something would fall through, or not work out. I began to question if it was even meant for me to go into the mission field.
I began to throw myself into my work. I was a shift supervisor at starbucks, and was working on making it into management. I thought everything was going great. But I just didn't feel fulfilled. I was working so hard to accomplish my goals but I wasn't getting anywhere. Over Christmas of this year I was visiting my grandparents in D.C, I was talking with my grandpa about what I was doing with work and my plans with my life and he said something to me that took me by surprise. He said that he was proud of what I was doing at work, but it just wasn't me. He could picture me on the mission field, in South America or something. Such a small statement but it impacted me majorly! On the way home I began thinking about my life and realized that I had lost my drive and my excitement about serving God. I had wrapped myself in what I thought was a good life for me to take. Instead of me just jumping into something again, I began to pray about where God wanted me to go from there. I knew that I had a passion for missions, I just didn't know how to take that leap of Faith.
I had heard about the world race through a friend of mine who went on it in 2009. When I saw her when she came back, she was a different person! I began to desire that change in me. On New Years Eve I was closing my store, on the way home I began reflecting on the past year and what I wanted to change in the new year. I began to pray that God would put a desire to change and do His will in the upcoming year. When I got home, I got on the World Race and began reading other peoples blog and it was such an inspiration to me! I decided to apply for the September Squad and see what happened! I was accepted and am beginning this AMAZING Journey! I applied and received an interview for a second job in 45 minutes, that just DOESNT happen! Since I chose to take the path the God has laid before me I feel like everything has fallen into place. No longer am I stressed and worried about what my future holds, Im choosing to give God the reigns and see where He takes me! And I Cannot wait to find out!!
