So you’re probably wondering, how did I get to 11 Countries in 11 Months? Why do I want to travel around the world? What’s up with becoming a missionary?
It all started last summer. About a year ago, I was going crazy doing 5 summer classes. Not recommended. It was crazy, but rewarding. When I finished the classes, I was officially a senior in college. It was an unreal feeling. My emotions were conflicted. I was excited! After this year, things would change! No more homework! No more tests! No more late nights writing papers and studying. Most of all, no more classes? But then reality crashed in and I started thinking about what it was that I was going to be doing in place of those things. I was going to be done with college a whole year early, and I just didn’t feel ready for anything.
I started looking at various jobs online, but I just couldn’t get excited about any of it. I turned to God, wondering what it was that he wanted me to do with my life. It got me thinking. I was done early by a year, what if I devoted that year to God? What if I entered a discipleship program or went on a mission trip? I prayed about it, hard. I searched online, but I didn’t find anything that fit what I wanted to do. I started thinking that maybe it wasn’t what I supposed to do. But I really wanted to do it! I was excited just thinking about the possibility of either of those options, more excited about their potential than I was about graduating from college. I prayed that if I was supposed to do one of these options, that God would give me the resources to find a program.
Then I got my confirmation. During the early weeks in the start of my senior year, I talked to a fellow senior about what was going to happen after graduation. She, unlike me, had found several programs while searching online. She told me that while she was searching, she felt like she wouldn’t be doing any of the programs herself. I told her I had been praying for God to tell me whether or not I could pursue discipleship or a mission trip. This was clearly His response to that prayer and my prayer for resources about a potential program.
One of the programs that she told me about sounded exactly like what I was looking for in a mission trip. For 11 months, I could travel to 11 different countries to serve God. So many of the other trips I had looked into online only lasted for a short period of time, and were only in one place. I had a strong desire to travel to many different parts of the world, so 11 Countries in 11 Months sounded perfect!
Even with God’s answer to my prayer about resources, I was still torn between doing a mission trip and finding a discipleship program. Family and friends had told me about various schools and programs where I could get discipleship. And after looking into 11 Countries in 11 Months, I was scared about the amount of money that it would take. Although I was indecisive, I was elated that I would somehow be doing something for God after I graduated. I knew that He would help me with my indecision and so I waited for Him to provide me with another answer.
Little did I know that his answer would come to me through my trip to Israel. And that just goes to show that God had a handle on what He wanted me to do, even before I thought about what I wanted to do after graduation. Why can I say that? Because my family and I decided that summer to go on our church’s Israel trip in January. The decision was made way before I seriously was considering discipleship or a mission trip.
Being on the trip was a miracle in and of itself. You see, my dad loved the idea of going to Israel, but he had told Mom and me that we couldn’t go. Maybe we could go another year. Mom and I were disappointed, because we also really wanted to go, but we accepted that we couldn’t. But really, at least to me, going to Israel seemed like it would be a long-shot anyways. A nice fantasy in the back of my mind. But that’s where I was wrong. One day, out of the blue, my dad casually says “we’re going to Israel.” Mom and I just looked at him in disbelief. I definitely thought he was pulling my leg.
Turns out he wasn’t. And he still hasn’t given me a convincing reason as to why he changed his mind. That’s what convinced me that there was a reason I was going on the trip. That God had a real purpose behind it, though I had no clue as to what that could possibly be. I was so sure of it, that when I went camping with my best friend, Emily, and really bad weather came, I knew we would remain safe. Peg Cunningham can attest to that. She drove me and Emily back from camping with wicked looking clouds in the sky, strong winds, and hail streaming from the sky. We were all tense in the van, hoping that we would make it back into town before the weather could get any worse. I said something along the lines of: “We’ll be alright. God wants me to Israel, so nothing will happen today.”
And God did have a reason for me in Israel.
Before I left for the trip, I thought maybe God would use the trip to help me clarify my thoughts about what I should do after graduation, but I wasn’t sure how that that was why I was going on the trip. I was partly right.
God used that trip to allow me to meet some extraordinary people. Some from my church, some from Missouri, and some all the way from Guatemala. And it was my friends from Guatemala that impacted my decision to join the 11 Countries in 11 Months program.
Left to Right: Ninnete, Rosita, and Rony
Meeting them increased my desire to do something with missions. Their passion for the Lord was amazing. It was amazing to hear about their testimonies and how they were using their lives for the Lord. It was hard to part with them when it was time to leave.
When I got home, it took me awhile to digest what God had shown me on the trip. That, and now I had a strong desire to go to Guatemala to visit the family again. I was also being pushed to decide what I should do after graduation. I was in the middle of my last semester in college and the pressure was building. I finally decided that missions, not a discipleship program, was what I wanted to pursue. I filled out the application for 11 Countries in 11 Months, signed up for an interview, and waited. I was both excited and scared. And, for me, when I start taking action, that’s when the doubts come. Did God really want me to do this? What if I wasn’t accepted, what would I do then? If I was accepted, what about the money? Of course God will provide, but what if I made a mistake? I didn’t, but it’s easy to believe doubts when you feel vulnerable and put yourself out there. And following God’s plans can be tough. Not only does the Devil not want you to do it, but a lot of times our own nature would find it much easier to do our own thing rather than God’s. And maybe it is easier, but it’s definitely not what makes you feel alive. Following God has given me some of the most worthwhile and meaningful experiences in my life.
Well, as you probably know, I was accepted into the program! I was notified of my acceptance during one of the busiest weeks of my college career. I had to write a speech, present my senior seminar, finish writing a paper worth a very large chunk of my grade, and take my last college test ever. I was feeling completely overwhelmed by everything I needed to do. The week before I asked God, if I was accepted into the program, that he could let me know during that incredibly busy week. I knew it would make the whole week better. I was told that applicants wouldn’t know if they had been accepted until a couple weeks after their interview, which meant that I probably wouldn’t receive the call until after that crazy week. I doubted I would hear anything until the two weeks were up. I resigned myself to not knowing until the busy week was over, slightly disappointed. Once again God provided for me and I was proved wrong. Learning about my acceptance made that week 100 times better. I couldn’t wait for my assignments to be finished and to get graduation done!
This whole process has shown me that God has a plan for me and that he’s going to take care of me, both in the big things and the little things.
He has given me a story to tell and I can’t wait to see how it goes.
Let me close with a song that God has REPEATEDLY been playing for since I was accepted into the program. While I don’t think the band is Christian, God has been telling me over and over this message (click the link to listen to the song (it should start playing)):
The lyrics that get me every time are:
I will carry all your smiles
Staring in the face of clouds
And every time you start to wonder
I’ll bring the joy back around
Wooah, wooah, wooah, follow Me.
