Over the summer I went on my first international mission trip with my church's college group to Guadalajara Mexico, the trip was life changing to say the least
This is a group photo of all of the students who came to Guadalara:
Emily and I trying to stay dry from the rain while we were passing out bracelets and testamonies:
These girls that I met were absolutely precious!
One of the kids, Isreal, making his craft during Vacation Bible School.
For those who have never gone on a mission trip, I highly encourage you to pray about it, save up some money, and go on the next available trip that you can. You really wont regret it. During this trip one of my friends who came on the trip to share Christ ended up finding Him herself, another friend surrendered to the call of full time missions in her life, we all made friendships that week that will last a lifetime, and we made goals to keep the same fire and passion that we had in Mexico and to take it back with us to Springfield, Missouri.
This was also the week that I started giving my future plans completely to the Lord. Before Mexico I knew exactly where I was going to be and what I wanted my life to be like in the months to come, in a year, even in five years from then. I knew exactly how I wanted my life to go but they were all my plans, I never asked God what he wanted me to do in my life. To go from knowing where I was going to be in five years to not knowing what tomorrow might hold was a scary thought. I held tight to the promise from Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
When I got back home I started finding mission fields to serve at in town. I started working with youth girls that live at JBH, an apartment complex for low income families. I help teach a lesson every week and I these kids have stolen my heart!
I also help out every other week teaching kids at Freeway ministry, its a ministry that desires to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a manner that anyone can understand. Basically Freeway is church for the unchurched. The kids can be crazy but its amazing to see something click when they first understand something that I taught them
But probably the biggest thing that happened in my life was that I surrendered to the call to full time missions. I don't know if I am called to do missions here in the states or on the international level but I do know that this is God's calling for my life. To be honest, at first I thought about all of the things that I would be giving up to be a full time missionary, and it was hard for me to just let those things go but I've come to realize that the things that I am leaving behind aren't the real sacrifice. I would be sacrificing everything that truly matters by staying behind and clinging to the things that I once thought that I wanted.
So now I am pretty much just focusing on the current ministries that I am apart of now and serving to my fullest in the place where God has me, here, in this moment. I'm also praying about what school I should attend next semester and it is getting closer and closer to the day where I actually do have to decide so please be in prayer for me that I see the doors that God has open for me and that I choose the path that He has for me!
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this, I know that it was a lot but a lot has happened this summer and fall!
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