During my time on the World Race, the Lord has spoken a calling over my life and He has shown me a vision of where He wants to carry me. The Bible tells us that “The Lord makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose”. My life is filled with events I believed to be unrelated, but the Lord has begun to show me how He has coordinated every detail to bring me where He wants me to be.
My story begins in 2012 when I travelled to India to serve Love N Care Ministries for 2 weeks. It was there that I discovered a passion for missions. After my time in India, I strayed from the Lord and began to pursue a major and a lifestyle that were not within His plans for me. In February 2014, I attended the Passion conference in Houston and it was there that God reminded me that He had big plans for me and wanted to use me for great things. I left that weekend with a new desire to follow the Lord and pursue His calling for my life. In the Spring of 2014, I changed my major to Elementary Education and began my search for a new college which led me to the discovery of the World Race.
When I began the Race, I was not confident in who I was. During these past 9 months, the Lord has shown me that my identity in Him is characterized by strength, leadership, boldness, humility, grace, and gentleness. He has grown me in my confidence of who I am in Him, and now He has begun to reveal how all of these characteristics fit into the plan He has for my life.
In my last 2 months of ministry, I have been serving in a school for orphans and children from low income families. The school holds 500 children, but only has the funds to support about 6 teachers. My particular class of 85 children was taught by a wonderful woman who has a heart for children and orphans, but has been unable to complete her education. I have always had a passion for education, but working in this school made me realize just how deeply I yearn to see children receive a solid education. This realization brought with it many questions. How do I make a difference? How does one person make a change that is lasting and effective? The Lord answered my questions by giving me the vision of starting a non-profit organization that focuses on empowering third world communities by partnering with schools, educating their teachers, and providing financial stability. By doing this, I will be reaching more than just one classroom of one school, and I am confident that I can make a lasting impact on the communities I am called to minister to.
I recognize that this vision is not in my immediate future, and there are many things that need to be accomplished before I can begin laying the foundations of a non-profit organization. I believe that the next season of my life will be a season of leadership, but I am still unsure of how the Lord plans to carry that out. If the Lord calls me directly back into school, I will have my degree in Elementary Education in approximately 2 years and proceeding my graduation, I would love to enroll in a 6 month program in Spain that provides courses for Christian non-profit business development. Upon completion of my time in Spain, I am interested in spending a year in India working and studying under Yesupadam, the founder of Love N Care Ministries International.
These are all simply ideas and I have no idea if they are in the Lord’s plan for me or not, but I know that whatever the Lord has for me will be good and exciting and perfectly tailored to me. It is so exciting to have a vision of what the Lord has for me, but I know that it will all take place in His time. The great thing about this all is that He has it all figured out. He knows the plans He has for me, and all He requires of me is that I surrender and follow Him.
This Race has been more than I ever expected it to be. As I come to the end of my time on the field, I am stepping into the next exciting season of my life. The end of this year is not the end of my time as a missionary, but it is actually the beginning of stepping into the incomprehensible plan the Lord has for my life. While I am sad to be leaving the community that I have walked through this season with, I am filled with hope and confidence because I know that my true journey is really just beginning. I know that following the Lord and sticking to His plan and His timing is going to be difficult, but it is okay because I know that following Him will lead me to true fulfillment. There is nothing but joy in my heart because I know that my life is in the best hands it could be and The Lord has planned a wonderful future for me.
