Hi there! My name is Tatiana Gomez and welcome to my blog! Here I will be sharing the journey that God has prepared for me during the 9 months of the World Race: Gap Year ministry.
I am currently 17 years old. I am a homeschooler who is dual-enrolled, a dancer, and a tutor/mentor. I am pursuing my AA at Broward College in South Florida and hopefully will graduate with this degree and my high school degree in May. I have also been dancing ballet, jazz, and modern for the past 8 years. At the beginning of the 2018/2019 school year, I began working for Firewall Centers. This organization helps tutor and mentor at-risk students throughout Broward County, Florida. I directly tutor a group of ten 6th and 7th graders. This is hands-down the biggest blessing in my life.
I am 100% Colombian and moved to the United States with my family after being born in Colombia. We have lived in Florida for the majority of our 17 years here. I have a little sister, Valentina, who is 10 and is the absolute joy of my life. She has taught me so much about patience and unconditional love.
I remember being younger and feeling very emotionally impacted by the injustices of the world and being told that I was too sensitive, or that I’d grow up and see things differently. Although time has most definitely given me perspective, I have not lost an ounce of that empathy. Dedicating most of my time to the study of equality has become one of my favorite things. Whether the topic is racism, sexism, ableism, or xenophobia, I have strived to gain a perspective that understands and empathizes with all people. My faith in God has been pivotal in convicting me of the equality that every human deserves.
Mark 12:13 states, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment that these.'”
This verse sums it all up…but there was something missing in my life. Understanding the post-Eden inequalities of the world could only get me so far. However, putting that conviction into motion was what set my soul on fire.
God had a lot of molding and sculpting to do in me before I committed to this 9- month mission trip. He used fasting, prayer, and His Word to speak clearly to me in a way I had never experienced. God also worked in my family to help them come to terms with this trip and the sacrifices it implied. I will be traveling to Costa Rica, Cambodia, and Swaziland to do any and every kind of ministry. All my personal needs and housing in one 60L backpack. And I can’t even begin to explain how exhilarated I am about this trip. To feel God tangibly and watch my soul on fire while doing what I was created for.
And so here I am, choosing to surrender 9 months of my life to the selfish pursuit of God and His people. Putting aside all luxuries and comfort in order to step into the lives of His children. Becoming the hands and feet of God.
I can’t say that I am a perfect person in any way. I tend to be a bit of a pessimist when it comes to myself and I can give into anxiety way too easily. And maybe those are all good excuses to opt out of this trip, maybe even excuses I’ve tried tricking myself into. But if there is anything that God has proven to me throughout my life is that fear gets me nowhere and anxiety earns me nothing. Steps in faith are what I choose to work on this upcoming year.
I ask that you pray for these steps of faith and for every step of preparation that I will need to take from here on out. Pray for exceeding levels of excitement about the Gap Year, and for the people that God will place in my path.
I leave you with the Bible verse that has pushed me through the hardest of days, “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.'” Matthew 25:40
Thank you for reading this blog and supporting me,
LOVE YOU
