It was 2018 and I had just finished studying abroad in Costa Rica, one of the most fun, memorable, and educational experiences I had in college. I made lifelong friends in my study abroad program, got to work in a Christian community center, and even fell in love with fútbol/soccer since Costa Rica was in the world cup that summer. After much reflection, I felt that living in an international community and serving within them was something God was calling me to.
It just so happened that the semester after returning, GoCorps had a booth at my university's career fair. I stopped by and started speaking with their representative. I asked a lot of questions, and by the end, I knew that I wanted to do "this". In my mind back then, what "this" was hadn't conceptualized yet as "missions". I thought of it more as working overseas (something I was interested in doing) and having the opportunity to do spread the gospel with people in a more organized way (something which we're called to do anyway.)
But call me Jonah, and because of the fundraising aspect of missions, I started running away. I said no and hid from God's plan for me because I was scared and I was so sure that He wasn't asking me to fundraise?! So I went on to graduate and work corporate full-time, a job in which I wasn't happy and wasn't passionate about. I soon realized that God called me to not just share the Good News in my own community, but to do it in a place where I can reach a different people group. I prayed a lot over this desire, so that I was sure I desired this according to God's will for my life; the next time GoCorps contacted me, I had already decided to trust in the process that God will provide for me and finally said YES to Him by applying for GoCorps.