Hey Friends!
A special opportunity I had this month was going to my college Biola University and representing GoTEN with my fellow teammate at Biola’s Missions Conference. I was so grateful to go back because many significant moments that eventually led me to GoTEN happened at Biola. Missions Conference was also one of my most favorite times, so it was really cool to be there and share about a ministry I love so much with students and faculty. As me and my teammate were at our ministry booth talking with people, I often got asked, “What’s it like to be on the other side of Missions Conference after experiencing it as a student?” That question made me smile because it made me think back to how I felt in my senior year at Biola walking past all the ministry tables during conference.
I remember seeing the ministry representatives standing behind their tables and thinking to myself, “I want to be them so badly! They’ve arrived! They know what they’re doing, they have their lives together, and they’re now on a clear path of what they’re suppose to do for the rest of their lives.” As a college senior, I wanted the sense of accomplishment and confidence I saw in the people behind the tables. At the time, that seemed a long way off, and I couldn’t even comprehend what it’d be like to get to that point.
Two years later when I’m now that person on the other side of the table representing a ministry, it’s funny comparing the assumptions I had as a senior with the reality of where I’m at now. On one hand, I’m really thankful to be with GoTEN and recognize God has brought me so far to get to this point of participating in a ministry I’m passionate about. I’m confident Phoenix is where I’m supposed to be. Yet on the other hand, I definitely don’t feel like I have it all together or that I know how the rest of my life will unfold. There are numerous times when I’m reminded I have so much to learn. I’m continually stretched and challenged to grow in things I realize still make me nervous or afraid. And if you were to ask me where I see myself in five years, I would say I honestly don’t know. However, I know all those different feelings are okay and that they’re a part of life. Graduating from college and beginning my job in full-time ministry was definitely a milestone, but it didn’t mean I stopped learning and growing. If anything it opened a door leading to more opportunities to grow and trust Jesus more than ever before. As I get older, I’m realizing we weren’t created to get to a point where “we finally arrive.” Instead we were made to be stretched at each stage of our lives because our view and dependency on God grows. And at the end of the day, that’s a very good thing.