How I was Called to the Mission Field…

    We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip. Here is my story…
    I guess looking back I can see that God has been inviting me to come on this journey for a long time, I didn’t know where I was going to end up, but He faithfully led me one little step at a time.  Last summer I worked at a youth ministries houseboat camp, and it simply changed my life.  Before I worked at the camp I was on a rowing team and had some big plans to get a scholarship and to go off and row at a big four year school, but God had other things in store for me.  I got hurt half way through the season and through a lot of prayer and tear filled conversations I started to see that God was leading me in a new direction.  I ended up serving on houseboats that following summer, which would have been impossible had I still been rowing.  When I was at camp I was physically, emotionally and spiritually tired, ALL OF THE TIME, but it just seemed right to be fully dedicated to ministry and daily challenged to grow in my walk with the Lord.  I fell in love with serving Christ with my everything.  When I came home and got back in the comfort of my “typical” life, I really missed having my attention undivided towards ministry.  I think once you really see the way that God is moving, working and shaping lives you want to be apart of what he is going every minute!
    I spent the next few months after camp filling out college applications, working a couple of jobs, and finishing up my undergrad at the local community college, but even as college opportunities presented themselves it just didn’t seem right. I had a chance to go visit my “dream school” and although it was a great visit and seemed to be everything I imagined, as I walked off the campus I knew in my heart that it was not what God had planned for me.  I knew that I would be working at camp again this summer but none of my plans seemed to be coming together for after camp.  I started to worry about it and thank about it all the time, until one day I gave it up to God and decided not to think about the next year or try to make any plans for it.  I have always had it in the back of  my mind that I would like to do a long-term trip but had never really looked into it or really thought or prayed much about it.  Soon after I decided not to plan, God put a peace in my heart, and followed it up with a new message in my email inbox.  It was from Adventures in Missions and although I have been receiving emails from them for YEARS this email caught my attention in a new way.  I started looking into the programs that they were offering and started to pray about it, and asked a prayer group I attend to pray about it, and then prayed some more.  God swung the doors wide open and here I am… planning on spending nine months serving his beloved people in a country He created with new friends that He planned for me to know and be friends with before I ever even existed.  God has led me one step at a time to this place, to this adventure, and I am excited to see HIS PLANS for my life unfold.