If you had asked me a year ago what I'd be doing after college, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea. Because who actually knows what they want to do right out of college? I surely did not, but I did know I wanted to help people- specifically refugees within foreign contexts. But what did that mean, really? I had no direction, no sense of anything directly pulling my heart. So, as I was about to enter my senior year with no answers, I earnestly asked God to make His calling known in obvious ways.
There had been a lot of talk in the news about terrorism throughout the Middle East. Stories of children dying in the process of escaping their homelands, reports of young girls being kidnapped and hurt, and articles about families being torn apart fled my news feed. To be honest- I'm guilty of often reading about worldly distress and turning my cheek despite my own discomfort. However, this crisis really stuck to my heart in a way that not only made me uncomfortable, but angry, dejected, and heartbroken. Not only because of the reality that these people are experiencing true turmoil, but because they are experiencing tragedy in a culture where true Hope isn't determined by the name of Jesus Christ.
After tons of prayer and spiritual guidance, I felt led to commit these next two years to sharing the Gospel with Muslims in the United Kingdom. I will be focusing on University Outreach; ministering to college students and young-adult refugees in Birmingham, England. I'm excited, nervous and overwhelmed by the constant reaffirmation that the Lord continues to provide for me on this journey!
Right now, I am continuing the process of raising support. This alone has been -and hopefully, will continue to be- a major trusting-in-God experience. The most important thing I've learned thus far in the process is that God really does take care of the details. Of course, we all know that. However, in any stage of life, it is so easy to get distracted by other priorites and lies from the enemy. God's providence is completely unlimited when it comes to His calling- and He has definitely been reassuring me of this. Throughout the stressful times, it is even more important to understand His care for the small, in-between stuff. A fellow Goer once told me "God already has your partners chosen for this journey, you just need to find them!" So with that, we continue to seek God in the midst of preparing for our next two years in the mission field by doing all that we can, and allowing God to take care of the details. I cannot wait to see how He continues to work in this stage of the GoCorps jouney!
Tamara