It was the summer of 2008 and I had just graduated from FSU two months prior. Instead of jumping into the daunting task of job searching, I decided to take some time to pour into the youth group I was serving in, and to pray more into my future. All throughout college I felt God impress on me this idea of international missions, yet I had exactly no idea where to even begin.
I was away at summer camp in the woods with the youth group and I was standing in the back worshipping. I was supposed to be paying attention to the computer because I was running the lyrics for worship that night. I stood there that night begging the Lord to give me some direction…any direction would do! Suddenly, in my mind’s eye I saw this picture of a globe spinning and it zoomed into Nepal. I stopped and immediately opened my eye and then opened up good ol’ Google on that computer because I didn’t even know where Nepal was before that vision. So that night I said, okay God, if you want me to go to Nepal, I’ll go. Just show me when and how.
Two months later I have a dream. And in this dream I’m walking through an orphanage full of kids. I see a little boy crying in his bed and I make my way to sit with him. I try and comfort him and when I ask him why he’s crying, he replies “because I don’t know my name.” I responded and told him that he needn’t cry, because I knew his name. It was written on a hospital-type bracelet around his little wrist.
When I woke up from the dream I remembered the name and I felt like there had to be something there. With Google to the rescue again, I searched his name. It was a rather common name so as was to be expected, there were dozens and dozens of findings. But then I had the thought that if I searched his name and Nepal that maybe God would somehow put some puzzle pieces together.
And there it was. The top find was this random orphanage in some mountains in Nepal. I didn’t know what the heck was happening, but as I was browsing through this website, I was bawling. I felt something connect in my spirit. God, what are you saying? What are you doing?
So I decided this is obviously the direction God is sending me and naturally I looked up a plane ticket that left two weeks later. I prayed this huge prayer of faith that God would put me on someone’s heart who would then donate the exact amount of said plane ticket. Sunday came and went and no one handed me that check I asked for. My fervor for getting to Nepal and this orphanage slowly faded away.
As I signed up for the World Race, I thought God would send me to Nepal then. And then he didn’t. When I signed up to lead M Squad, I had hopes that finally I’d get to go then. But that didn’t happen either. When leading Q squad came up, I figured he would surely bring me there then. Still, didn’t happen then either.
But here I am, more than 5 years after that dream and I’m excited to say that I’m finally going! I have no idea what to expect or even if it really is God because he’s otherwise been pretty silent about Nepal and the orphanage. But because I’m close enough to go (I’m in India for M Squad’s final debrief), there’s no way I can pass up the opportunity to chase after this dream. I may be totally crazy, but I’m stepping out in big faith, believing that he’s going to meet me in that beautiful land.
I’ll be arriving to Nepal on Friday afternoon and I’ll be there for two weeks. Please pray for safety, clarity, direction, and for God to use me in big ways during my time at this orphanage.
