And So It Begins!

The beginning of a new journey has begun!

I will soon be embarking on an eleven month trip where God has called me to serve, grow, and learn to solely rely on Him, trusting Him with everything. 

About two years ago, for the first time, I traveled abroad to Chiang Mai, Thailand for two weeks.  On this trip I met many missionaries and got to witness what their lives are like, how they serve the Lord, and the ways in which they depend on Him.  I quickly felt a calling to missions and shared this with friends and family when I came back from the trip.  However, I had no idea where I would begin, having only been abroad one time I felt inexperienced and thought that I would wait awhile and pursue this calling to missions later in life when I was more comfortable and “ready” to.  I had heard about the World Race shortly after coming back from Thailand through my resident director who had gone on the trip a few years prior.  I did my research and thought for sure this was something I would aim to do!  But at the time it didn’t seem realistic or tangible.  I wanted this to happen in my timing, rather than trusting God’s timing.  So I put it on the back burner and continued to pursue an education in a career in which I thought I wanted.

My junior year of college I came to the realization that the career path I was headed on was not the end-all be-all for me.  I changed my major, and me, being a planner and always feeling the need to be in control of my life, felt like I was thrown for a loop.  I had no idea what was next and in my anxieties and need for a plan I shut out God’s voice and rushed to receive affirmation from the world that I would find some sort of career.  Slowly but surely, I placed it all in God’s hands.  My senior year (2020-21), still having no idea what my calling was, I searched and searched for jobs.  Nothing seemed to stick out or fit what I was being called to.  It was not until April when one of my roommates asked me if I had ever heard of the World Race that the chaos in my mind settled.  I realized I had completely pushed this idea out of my mind, wanting to settle down where I was comfortable and wanting to save money.  After praying and feeling encouraged and supported by my loved ones about the trip, I felt so much peace and excitement in realizing the time is now!  Crazy how God placed someone in my life at the perfect time and season to plant a seed by informing me about this trip, and then later, after finally learning to trust Him with my life, placed another person in my path to remind me about this opportunity and encourage me to pursue my love for missions.

These past few weeks I have started the journey of preparing my heart for this trip and learning to trust God in what He is doing in my life.  I am learning to live in the moment; instead of rushing and doing things my own pace, I am learning to trust God’s timing and His plan for what is to come.

One of the most exciting things for me in going on this trip is that I will have to learn to fully depend on God in some extremely difficult moments.  I have never been away from family longer than a month!  This will be a challenge, but I believe in the power of prayer and God has blessed me with amazing supporters.  I also look forward to not having access to all the material things I was fortunate enough to grow up with.  It will be challenging not having all of my “stuff” that I am used to having access to, but will open my eyes to the fact that these things really are just temporary and of the world (1 John 2:16).

So as you can see, I am so excited for the fun and exciting, but also the challenging and difficult parts of this trip.  I am beyond thankful for this opportunity and would love for you to be a part of it with me through your prayers and support.