Dear future Goer,
I’ve been thinking for a long time now about what I want to tell you. There's so much to say about serving in another country, building deep friendships, overcoming obstacles, and growing closer to God. The thing that keeps popping out to me though is the amount of change one can experience in two years and how in your early to mid-twenties, you are in an extremely volatile state and ripe for letting God completely transform your life.
When I made the decision that I wanted to move to Germany and serve in anti-trafficking ministries, I knew I was going to learn a lot about the issue of trafficking and what it looks like on a more global scale; I didn’t expect though, that I would learn so much about who I am and my identity in God and what it looks like to live out my faith apart from the comfort of my family and the church community with which I was so familiar. I expected to help other people find relationship with God and experience the healing He offers; I didn’t expect to find a deeper intimacy with God I hadn’t realized I was lacking and to find healing in areas I didn’t even know I was hurt. I knew that making the decision to leave would mean not coming back the same person; I didn’t expect it would mean a complete transformation of my life.
By saying yes to God and His call, He honored my obedience by tenderly drawing me in closer to Him and letting me experience Him in a whole new way. This is not to say that if you stay in the US that you cannot experience life transformation, our God is bigger than that and can use any circumstance. But I know for me personally it took leaving behind everything I knew-- family, friends, culture, and language, for God to open my eyes and for me to experience Him and His world in a whole new way.
In learning about another culture I have learned so much more about my own culture and who I am and what I value. By seeing brokenness in others and being with the lost, I can better understand my own brokenness and see how I too stray away. God has used this experience to not only allow me to reach others, but for Him to also reach me.
So what does all of this mean?
It means the decision to say yes is the opportunity to be invested in by others and to grow. It means learning more about God and the diversity of the world He created. It means being with the lost and learning more about their pain and their way of thinking and being there for God to speak through you into the deep places of their heart. It means being challenged in how you personally see and understand God and learning how to truly make your faith your own.
You will have the opportunity to witness miracles and see the Church grow, to walk alongside people, plant seeds, and even witness some catch on fire for the Lord. You will have the opportunity to be in the harvest and disciple others. And that’s just the start….
So as you consider taking this step I ask you, what will you lose by going…. but more, what will you lose by not going?
In Him,
Diedre