It was nearly
five years ago that God revealed one of the scariest things to me. It was like
every other Sunday night; I was attending my church’s youth group. Our pastor
was preaching on the great commission and encouraging missions. He played a few
different videos made by different organizations whose goals were to take the
Gospel near and far. Seems simple enough, right? But what I thought would be an
ordinary Sunday, ended up changing my life. As these videos rolled, I found
myself sobbing at the statistics, and the stories, and the faces. I felt burden
weigh down my heart heavier than ever before. The sobbing mess that I was, I
left the sanctuary. As I cleared my thoughts, I wondered why I was as shaken up
as I was. I mean, commercials air all the time about AIDS and orphans and they
have never upset me like these videos did. I felt God tugging at my heart and I
began praying and trying to listen. Finally, I went back into the sanctuary.
The sermon was nearly over and the pastor concluded by challenging us to take
on the great commission. I felt so drawn to this… there is no way to explain it
other than that the Holy Spirit was working in me. I prayed, “No God… there is
no way that you want ME to go into the mission field… I am little and quiet,
and I don’t even stay the night at my friend’s houses… So there is no way you
could expect me to leave my comfort zone and do the things talked about
tonight… not me… He is preaching to everybody except me.” And right then, my
pastor said, “and if you are telling yourself that this message is for everyone
except you, it is especially for you.” I nearly fell out of my chair! Why me
God? I am so inadequate and so broken and unworthy. But over and over He
confirmed that He chose me. Within this time, God started opening my eyes,
awakening my heart, and growing in me a passion for others. He started growing
in me a passion to make His name known. I had heard of a few different mission
trips online but when I applied, I would never get a response. At first, I was
aggravated but God kept bringing me back to this verse: For everything there is
a season, a time for every activity under heaven.- Ecclesiastes 3:1 and so I
trusted God and I trusted His timing. I became more active in my church and
submitted to the guidance and authority of my leaders, which lead to growth. I
also embraced every chance that I had to serve in nearby cities and everyday
life. Looking back now, I see that God was preparing me for the bigger picture
by teaching me humility, patience, selflessness, and how to effectively
proclaim His word while serving locally and within the church. Finally God gave
me the green light and sent me on my first global mission trip to Colombia,
South America. I returned the following summer and then this past summer, I
traveled the United States with an organization called Live Offensively (check
them out). I also serve locally as often as my schedule permits me to. So
what is this blog about? Three years ago, God laid Africa on my heart and
confirmed through other people that He has a place for me there. My heart for
the culture and people there began growing but I knew that what God had in
store was much more than I was ready for so I began earnestly seeking Him,
inviting Him to stretch, and praying. After three years of praying and a
passion burning like wildfire in my heart, He has said, “go.” For months I had been looking for an organization to travel with but there was always either an interference with school or the trips were booked. A couple of months ago however, I
found this two month expedition through AIM which covers Uganda, Tanzania, and
Kenya. PERFECT! I get to travel within the country, AND it is during my summer
semester! I filled my application out, got accepted, fundraised, got aggravated, praised God for His provision, and now I am departing in a few short hours to training camp!!! With that said, I invite you. I invite you to join me in mystruggles, victories, and adventures as I embark on this journey.
