Hey guys, my name is (not) Julia (but it is here, you catchin' my vibe?)! I’m excited you have found my page and are delving forward into the beginning of my story!
First up: those fun facts to break the ice (we like these, right?)! 1) I grew up in a military family and we moved from coast to coast every few years! 2) For sixteen years of my life, my dad had me completely convinced that we had a pet Zebra named Stripes until I was two! 3) In another life, I would be a Thai woman working in a rice patty field (that lush greenery, the water, the HAT… oh yeah!). Hopefully this paints the picture that I love quirks, travel, and vibrant cultures, which have all contributed to this mission opportunity I am jumping into now at 22!
You see, I’ve actually wanted to head out into the world as a missionary since I was four years old! That’s when my family began going to Church together and I fell in love with this BIG God that loves me. Even then, I wanted others to know Him so desperately that I would ask “Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Bold, I know. My parents jokingly stated that I would grow up to be a missionary, and after eighteen years of asking the Lord to answer that exact prophecy, He has!
I initially went to college to study Global Studies, thinking that would be a good avenue into missions, but it didn’t take long for me to realize it wasn’t the right fit. So kind of on a whim, I switched to Writing! It was with this degree that I was able to intern for an anti-human trafficking organization, which revealed my own burning for the Lord and His people. I then set out to work in an organization aimed at ending human trafficking. I was fortunate to have an awesome connection to GoCorps through my university, and GoCorps connected me to my organization now.
How did I know this was the right placement for me? I got a call from GoCorps saying “Hey, you might’ve overlooked this org because it was listed wrong. It is actually 1) in the VERY country that has been on my heart since I was that ambitious little girl, 2) in a district in which so many are at risk of human trafficking, and 3) in need of a writer! ...You guys, God knows our hearts and He has made us each with unique talents to be used for special purposes! That naive little girl that moved between U.S. coasts is now much less naive and jumping the pond altogether (and a little closer to those Thai patty fields!)!