I am so overjoyed to be serving in Mexico city with the Avance team through United World Missions. This opportunity came so unexpectedly, but I have already realized it is such a big answer to prayer. See, four or five months ago I was applying to grad schools to get my masters in counseling and preparing to eventually get my first "real adult" job after graduating. Years before, through a mission trip to Mexico the Lord showed me just how global our God is and that he wants to reach people in every corner of the earth. It was then I really started to take learning Spanish seriously and I knew I wanted to use it to reach others for Christ. While this was on my heart, I never thought seriously about going into missions for the long term. I had planned to fulfill what god layed on my heart through short term missions trips and working in the spanish speaking population in America.
While I studied abroad in Ecuador, the summer after this missions trip, I had some really tough moments. I struggled in my spanish classes and wondered why God would've placed such a burden on my heart for something that didn't come easliy for me. I was praying all summer for God to show me how He was going to allow me to use my Spanish speaking abilities to further his kingdom. He gave me peace that this would be revealed in his time.
Coming back to school the next semeester, stressed out about applying to grad schools and preparing for that, I prayed to God "Lord rearrange all of my plans so that they match yours. Just take my preconcieved plans and ideas, even though I feel that they are yours already, and change them to fit your will for me and make me into the woman you want me to be."
I waited and waited for something, then just assumed I was on the right track when nothing came. Then, at the end of my one of my translation and transcription classes one day, a man came in a spoke about this opportunity to serve overseas using your degree for 2 years. He made the point that we aren't tied down to any specific job or significant other, so this is they most freeddom we will ever have to serve the lord anywhere we want. I then saw a position they had in Mexico City working against human-traffficking.
Through prayer, scripture, another mission trip to Mexico, and confirming conversations with friends and teachers I decided to take a leap of faith and change the entire path of my life for the next two years. I am absolutly ecstatic about the work I'll be doing as I get to build relationships with these teenage girls who have been victimized. It will be such a blessing to do devotions with them, facilitate life-skillls workshops, and even get involved with their therapy. These girls have a really tough past of abuse and trafficking and I can't wait to do my part in restoring them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. '
Lord, Thank you for letting me do this great work for your kingdom.