I have been home for almost 3 months now since finishing the race and so much has happened in my life. Before returning home, I knew the Lord was telling me that I would have a couple months to debrief/process/adapt back into life in the states, and that a door would be opened for my next step in August. My heart for my future is in mobilization and education. I desire to tell people about the world and how God is working in it, as well as encourage them to go and see for themselves. So, since I’ve been home I’ve been emailing a bunch of different organizations and volunteering when opportunities have come up. I’ve worked with a homeless ministry in LA, volunteered for an amazing organization called Discover the Journey (discoverthejourney.org), and gone to work with my sister at a community center for adults with disabilities. The Lord has continued to put people in my life who are passionate about sharing His love with the world and serving those around them.
Also during these few months, I’ve continually heard the question from people: “Whats next?”. Its a totally appropriate question and definitely to be expected, but my only answer has been “I dont know, but God is going to do something in August”. I’ve definitely had my moments of wondering and asking God where my life is going, but for the most part I’ve had a peace with His answer of “wait”.
The wonderful thing about God is that He is reliable. He said to wait until August, and He answered. On August 3rd, I received a call from Adventures in Mission (AIM) regarding their “real life” trips (http://www.adventures.org/a/trips/trips.asp?locationID=101) . They asked me if I would co-lead a trip to somewhere in Africa for 3 months, leaving September 3rd. There were a ton of thoughts buzzing through my head : “I have to leave in a month?, Can I leave my family and friends again this soon?, What about the things I’ve been doing these past months I feel a calling to?”. But, no matter what questions or concerns came into my mind, there was an overwhelming sense of peace and excitement that seemed to quiet everything else. The moment I heard it would be somewhere in Africa I knew I could do it. My heart for Africa has grown so much in the past 5 years, and I know it is a place I will always be called to in some way.
Even though I immediately felt confident about this opportunity, I guess I felt I was “too confident”, and needed more affirmation from God. Well, I love that God still speaks through our unbelief. God was speaking to me that entire day. Every interaction, every phone conversation, and every event that day confirmed this trip as the next door for me to walk through. Even that night I went to a Bible study at a good friends house through his church that he’s been asking me to go to for months. I show up, surrounded by strangers, and was immediately embraced in a community of love that was so comparable to “worldrace” life. They were people who desired community, desired to love, and desired to accept love from God. And, to top it off, their church was currently on a trip to Swaziland with AIM which led us to spend part of the night in prayer for them. I remember driving home that night with the biggest smile on my face. The way God communicates in such obvious ways continues to amaze me.
So, after 12 hours of continual confirmation, I have decided to co-lead a Real Life trip through AIM, going to Swaziland for 3 months. I leave September 3rd to go to the AIM offices in Gainnesville, GA for leadership training, and then it is back to Africa. I am overjoyed by this opportunity and know it is exactly where the Lord wants me to be.
Real Life trips are for 18-22 year olds. My team will be lead by me and 2 others and have 17 participants. We will be going to Swaziland, working at AIM’s ‘care points’, as well as spending time sharing Christ’s love with adults in their final stages of AIDS. Care points are centers AIM has set up throughout Swazi to provide food and education to kids in the community. I have only spent a few weeks in Swazi and am extremely excited to go back.
If you would like to support me while I am gone, my biggest need throughout these months is going to be prayer. I will be posting a list of prayer requests for the trip soon, but in the mean time if you could be praying that these next few weeks of preparing to leave would be spent in quality time with my family and friends and a continued confidence in following where God is leading me. If you would like to support me financially (since I do need to raise around $1500), you can click on “Support Me” located on the left sidebar next to the blog. There is no way I would be able to do any of this without the support of my family and friends and I thank all of you with how you had encouraged me and hedged me in prayer. It means so much to me and I thank the Lord that I have such a good support behind me.
