Hey there! I am so excited to be able to share with you about a new season of life I am headed into! As some of you may have heard, I am going to be going on a nine month mission trip in September! I will be traveling to Africa, Thailand, and Costa Rica where I will have the opportunity to spread the love of Jesus to many people who may have never heard of Him! This journey so far has really allowed me to see how gracious and powerful God is. He has carried me through a lot in these past few months as I have learned that there is so much more to a trip like this than saying yes to the calling!
So how did I get the opportunity to join Adventures in Missions and what did my “yes” look like?
Ever since I was a little girl I have always felt called towards mission work. I actually went on my first mission trip to Haiti when I was only 11 years old! God planted the seed of love for missions into my heart and over the years it has only blossomed more and more. I finally decided about 6 months ago that I would look into different programs for longer term mission trips. I was very discouraged at first because most places required a degree of some sort. While I do have an associates, it just wasn’t going to cut it for the mission trip opportunities I had come across. Discouraged and very confused, I prayed that if this was truly something God wanted me to do, He would make it very clear to me. I gave it all up to God and that is when I was introduced to Adventures in Missions. I was scrolling through Facebook one day and an ad popped up. This ad had a quiz attached to it that asked basic questions to get to know you and see if you would be a good fit for their Gap Year program. I figured I would just get annoying emails for the rest of my life and that no one would contact me. Thinking it was a dead end, I forgot about it and moved on. To my surprise, the next week I actually got a phone call from a person on their admissions team and they asked me if I would be interested in putting in an application! It was at that moment that I realized this must be a sign from God! I put in my application and about a month later I was in! God has orchestrated this whole process and has fit all the pieces together for this trip in such a way that there is no denying that this is where I need to be. My initial yes to the calling God has placed on my heart has come with a lot more situations in which I have had to say yes to God and no to my own wants.
So what has my “yes” looked like? It has looked like leaving my apartment and own way of life. Packing my whole life up into boxes and leaving a place I had already made so many memories in was probably the hardest transition I have had to make so far. I am so grateful to my grandparents for taking me in for the summer as I prepare to head out in the fall! My “yes” has also looked like using my savings to purchase camping supplies because, lets be honest, this gal has never been camping and has never planned on it. I have said yes to the fact that I will also be missing out on some pretty major holidays with my family such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even birthdays. I know that the growth and experiences I will have on this trip will greatly surpass the things I will miss out on at home and I am so excited to see how God will work in my life through the discomfort I am experiencing now. Saying yes to God doesn’t always come with rainbows and butterflies. Most of the time it comes with a lot of change and it can be very uncomfortable! I am learning to trust God in the change. While the change may be scary, I know that God has a great plan for me through this trip and I am so excited to be able to share that plan with you through these blog posts!
Thank you for reading this lengthy blog post! I appreciate each and every one of you for your support and encouragement so far. Please continue to pray for me as I get closer and closer to leaving! A lot still needs to be done but I am trusting that God will bring it all together! If you would like to reach out and hear more about my trip in more detail I would love to talk to you individually! I would also ask that you would pray and consider supporting me either financially, prayerfully or both! I am astounded and so thankful for all the support I have received so far but I still have a long way to go!:)
I’m thankful for your “yes” Addie! Thanks for being an example of learning to trust God through the change. I’m learning this as well so we can learn together 🙂
Such a beautiful image of giving God the reigns to your life. ?? I’m praying for your safety and that the Lord plants seeds of peace, joy, and comfort unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. So inspiring!
Counting the cost of following Jesus is a good thing, he asks a lot of his followers. Your yes and your willing spirit will allow him to change your life again and again and again. It doesn’t end next year when you come home from the race.
Looking forward to meeting you in September.
I’m assuming that’s you in front of your camping stuff . . . did you cut your hair??
Great post! It’s awesome to see how God brought you here and I’m excited to get to know you better in September!