After I got back from the World Race, I started pursuing a dream that I thought looked something like this:
I meandered around Michigan for a while, looking for something that would satisfy what I thought I needed (an entry-level or basic nursing job that would give me the experience I was looking for before I could go back out on the field). When nothing panned out in Michigan I headed to Colorado and got a temporary job before landing that nursing job (which turned out to be a great place to get experience but was actually stifling my dream – that’s another story for another day, though). After a quick trip to Haiti after the earthquake there in January of 2010, I remembered what my dream had looked like and started pursuing it instead of allowing myself to get stuck in the rut of working 7-7 at the hospital 3 days a week. I moved back to Michigan and planned a trip to the Middle East because that’s where I thought God was telling me to go long-term and I wanted at least a little bit of an idea as to what that would look like before I jumped in to it full time. I was able to spend 5 weeks in a place that has become very dear to my heart, learning the language and culture and getting to know people; and I had just begun to get my feet wet at the local government hospital and saw places where I could be of use with my nursing experience there.
Most of you know that I was asked to leave there early because of the political situation, and I am not currently pursuing going back there because of the ongoing political protests and demonstrations (basically, what was and still is happening there was affecting daily life – food and water shortages, extended electricity outages, fuel shortages, lack of cooking oil – all very important things!) When that trip didn’t work out how I had planned, I was stuck – at a loss because it seemed like my dreams and my desires that I had been working toward were all just dumped out the window and disregarded. I had no idea what to do with my life. I mean, sure, I could wait for things to settle down there and then pursue going back (it’s been 5 months since I left and I think it’s still getting worse, so there’s no telling when it’s going to get better), but God did not create me to sit around and wait for something to just fall in my lap.
Enter this trip to India (hopefully you read my synopsis of how I ended up here on the India team blog – I reposted it here just in case you haven’t seen it yet). India, you say, and Human Trafficking? That doesn’t necessarily sound like your dream. Well, you would be correct in saying that. Here’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned from being in this AIM community though: sometimes you have to put your dream on hold and help someone else pursue their dream before God will release you to take care of your own. There are people working in the AIM office that have dreams way bigger than a 9-5 job in a cubicle, but they are there serving someone else’s dream for a season because 1) they believe in what that person is doing and 2) that’s where God has called them for this season.
So that’s where I am right now. I really have no clue what I’m stepping in to with this whole human trafficking thing. It’s not exactly my passion (though it has been something I’ve been interested in and have wanted to do something about for a while now). It doesn’t quite line up with where I thought my dream was taking me. But it’s not about me right now. It’s about serving Laura‘s dream, about pouring myself out for something I might not understand, about being flexible and fluid before the Lord and allowing Him to take me wherever He pleases. It’s about changing my perspective on what life and ministry and support-raising and community look like, and seeing how God’s Master plan is the overarching theme in my life.
