Before you read this blog, check out this awesome video. This 3 minute video gives you a little glimpse of what my life will be like for the next year and all of the amazing ways in which God will use me to serve.
Almost every time I tell someone about my adventure, I inevitably receive the response “…..Why!?” My reasoning is far too complex to put into short conversation, so I normally just shrug my shoulders and say something along the lines of “I dunno. I guess I just love people.” But it’s far more than that. God has called me to be a missionary, and simply loving people is not the only thing that has brought me here.
The main reason I am going is because God rescued me and I surrendered control. I was tired of everything. I wanted something different. For the first time, I truly opened my heart to God and told Him I would follow Him anywhere if He just showed me a way out and this is where He led me.
I am going because I know that there is more to see than the woods of East Texas. There are more things to see and experience than the American culture has to offer. There are countless adventures waiting for me. There are mountains to be climbed, oceans and rivers to be swam, sunsets to be seen, villages to be explored, people to be loved, and ears that need to hear.
America is so self centered. The culture of America teaches us that we always need more. We need a bigger TV. We need a nicer car. We need a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood. We need better clothes. We need more STUFF. When in reality….it’s just stuff.
I don’t want to spend my money on more things which will fade when I can invest my time and my money into the hearts and the lives of people all over the world.
Did you know that in Africa, children feed their bellies with mud and dirt just to avoid the pains of hunger? Did you know that the money that we throw away on frivolous things could easily feed villages of people?
Countless men, women, and children die each day because they do not have enough money to simply feed themselves and here I am complaining because my car is old. Im tired of this mentality.
I prayed for God to break my heart for what breaks His and He has. He has shown me how blessed I am to be born with such privilege, and He has called me to use that privilege to help His other children. Knowing that there are millions in need and that I have the resources to help calls me to serve. I can no longer ignore the fact that I have been given so that I can give in return. My heart is full of love, my bank has enough money to feed a village, my body is young and able to work, and my spirit is continually strengthened by Christ Jesus. With all of these things to my advantage, I can’t see how NOT going would even be an option.
My heart can no longer be satisfied my the things that have been deemed valuable here. I do not want my life to be measured by how well I dressed. I do not want my life to be measured by how well I did in school. I do not want my life to be measured by things that will fade. I want my life to make a difference. I want to make a change, and that requires action.
So I have chosen to go.
I am going because God has called me.
I am going because I have heard the whisper which turned into a scream that could not be ignored.
I am going because I have been blessed, which calls me to give.
I am going because I have an abundance of love in my heart.
I am going because I am no longer satisfied by simplistic, worldly things.
I am going because there is more out there.
I am going because I believe that with the power of Christ inside of me, I can do incredible things.
I am going because I believe that God can use me to do big things.
But ultimately, I am going because this is what I was made to do.
