I got a call few hours after my phone interview with World Race, an origination that sends college students out on mission trips all around the world.
I was nervous to hear back from them so soon because during the last call, I was told that an update on the application will be in five business days. Why am I getting a call now? I was mentally prepared that I was getting denied. They probably think I wasn’t ready to go. That’s okay, I’ll just apply again next year, no biggie.
Let’s rewind back a little. I applied to go on a mission trip for this summer. I actually applied and got accepted to go to Haiti through a different organization, but it got canceled due to the violent protest in the country.
Since I like to learn about different cultures and hearing people’s stories, the cancellation of the Haiti trip did not stop me from reapplying.
The deadline was pretty close for World Race when I decided to turn mine in. I scheduled for a phone interview a week later and here we are today.
The phone interview lasted about thirty minutes. At first the interviewee asked about follow up questions based on my application. However, the second half, the conversation was mainly about my mental health. I have anxiety and experienced eating disorder in the past. When I got asked when my last panic attack was, my answer was yesterday… yep I had the worst panic attack right the day before. The more questions asked, the more afraid I got that I might be disqualify to go on the mission trip.
That’s exactly the first reaction when I got a call back just a few hour after the interview. I asked if I could talk later because I was working a desk shift. The remaining shift, I was anxious. I mentally prepared myself that I’m going to hear “sorry, we don’t think you’re ready for this trip.”
I nervously called back when I got off shift and guess what! I got accepted! They said since they had time, the person who interviewed me met up with her manager to go over my application. She couldn’t wait until next week to tell me so she decided to give me a call right after the meeting. They have told me that I am required to meet with a counselor prior to the trip -which is totally understandable because having a panic attack abroad wound’t be fun.
So yes, I am officially going to Ecuador for a month this summer! There are still some paper works and counseling sessions left, but I am excited to see how God will be working through this experience.
