Gosh, I never expected my senior year of college to be as confusing as it has been. Yes in high school there was the “where will I go to college?” and “what will be my major?” but these both came very easy for me. I figured that I would go to the university that was closest to home and the most affordable, and I decided that I would be a nurse because that would be a great way to serve others and I could do medical missions- God wouldn’t argue with that right? I had it perfectly planned. And I did well, I got all of the perfect grades that I needed and stayed on top of everything and I thought “I’ve got this!”
Well…I didn’t get it.
While applying to nursing school I made it through the initial step with my grades, but after two tries, I couldn’t get through the interview process. This was a very difficult time for me and I was very confused about what I should do. After lots of prayer, I felt God pushing me away from certain career paths yet I felt no clear answer as to what He wanted me to do. I still didn’t feel that He was saying “no” to nursing though, so I decided I would still keep trying, but at a different school. So, I switched my major to Community Health Sciences so I could at least graduate from my university.
Rewind a tiny bit..ok right there! to the summer of 2012. This is when I had my first experience with missions. I had taken a special interest in overseas missions since early in high school when I started to have a real relationship with Jesus. Early on in college I started praying that God would provide me with an opportunity for missions and literally 2 days later I found out about a mission trip to Manila, Philippines to serve in the urban slums. Thank you God! This was literally the best experience of my life. God showed me a whole new side of Himself that I hadn’t known before, which could only come from being put in this kind of situation, outside of my American bubble. After this amazing experience, I went to a global missions conference called Urbana and it was there where I felt a very strong call from God to make a commitment to missions. And it was the greatest feeling ever! Yet I had no idea when I would go again or when this would occur.
Well, then it was my senior year and I was much too worried and had way too many questions.
1. What? What am I supposed to do with my Community Health Major? What career path does God want me to take? Should I still try for nursing?
2. Where? Where does God want me? Should I apply to a different nursing school or should I stay in Nevada and try to figure out a different route?
3. What about community? I have the greatest community in Reno. I am very involved with a club called InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on my campus and this has helped to shape me into the person I am now by challenging me in amazing ways to grow in my faith. The friends I have met through this are amazing and they have been my family. I also have the most amazing sisters that have walked with me through all of college and we have been there for each other through everything and have pushed each other to grow closer and closer to the Lord. We will all be going in different directions this next year, and I don’t like that!
At my fall conference with InterVarsity that was focused on graduating seniors, God brought me so much peace and comfort that I had been longing for. He showed me that I have nothing to worry about. His will for me is to be His humble servant and to live for the Kingdom each day. He will lead me and provide and I just need to trust Him and keep my eyes set on Him. And of course He is right (He always is), and now I see that everything has fallen into place for this next year.
After lots of contemplating, praying and talking with others I trusted for advice, I had decided that I was going to move to Texas the upcoming year to be closer to my boyfriend i had at the time and to apply to a nursing program there. I was excited that I had finally made a decision and I was moving to Texas! But I realized that I still felt as if there was something missing. There was one day I was sitting at work and I was still just feeling a little overwhelmed about my future. While I was worrying about this, the idea popped into my head of “you should go on the World Race”. So random! I started getting all excited and I thought, “Really God? Could this really be where you want me next year?” After that I spent a lot of time praying about this and I realized that this is where my passion lies and what brings me real joy. I know that I won’t be settled here until I GO. I want to see God’s kingdom through the eyes of other nations and cultures and be a part of it- not coming as the American who can fix all, but coming as a humble servant to work alongside God’s people, learning from them and partnering with them in doing God’s work and bringing the good news of Jesus. And this is what the World Race has to offer me.
I know that this is not going to be easy- leaving my community and my family and having to rely fully on God to lead me in the ways He wants me to work for Him this next year outside of my comforts at home. But oh will it be worth it! This is my dream and I hope that through these 11-months I will be greatly impacted in ways that will forever change me so that when I return home I may see my place here in the US with a new global lens and be better equipped to serve God and others from here or wherever God has me go. It takes actually going to the bottom and living alongside those who are in the greatest need and the most marginalized to know/understand where they are coming from before change can occur. And it takes seeing God from all different perspectives (not just the American one) to be able to understand His love and mission for the world. And I have so much hope in the Lord!
God’s plans are so much better than my own!
