Wind was gusting through the plane as I saw each pair fall out one by one. By the grace of God I felt excited and ready (as you can probably tell from the video). I heard the countdown to three, took one step and found myself in freefall overlooking the Swiss Alps. The green of the fields and mountains, the turquoise blue of the lakes and the exhilaration of the fall were well worth the uncertainty of signing up for skydiving in a foreign country.
During my last year at Baylor, I felt led to find a place to serve for a year or two after college. After looking into several different international opportunities, including the Peace Corps and Stint with Cru, I heard about GoCorps. I discovered it was for twenty somethings who want to serve abroad for two years, use their major and apply their faith. Ding ding ding! We have a winner!
Over the course of a few weeks, through prayer, I saw that a position in Mexico City was the best fit for me. God showed me that He had been preparing me for just this position. My foreign exchange student "sisters" gave me a taste for the Spanish language and culture, my leadership involvement in Cru gave me a taste for planning events and welcoming newcomers, and my majors in International Business and Supply Chain Management gave me the basic skill set to take on the position as an Event Coordinator at the Avance ministry. So in May, this list-loving, efficiency-driven, detailed-oriented brain of mine said, “Yes!” to this two year commitment.
The Avance ministry includes a hosteI for backpackers and a café for the local community. Avance is a community of believers showing Christ's love by welcoming, engaging and providing a home-like environment for travelers from all over the world. Avance also has outreach programs, like the café, among other ministries, to engage the local community. I will be planning all sorts of events for our guests, all with the ultimate goal of creating a smaller, more inviting community that allows them to feel at home in a large city.
Again, I am about to jump, not out of a plane, but out of my very own "familiar," and into a new place, new language and new culture. I hear God calling me to this, and yes, I have my nervous, uncertain moments. But through prayer, more prayer, and a little bit more prayer, I have established an overwhelming sense of peace, and I am ready to step off when I hear His voice say, "1, 2, 3, JUMP!"