I got connected to GoCorps through a program at my university that sends out recent college graduates to do international missions work for two years. When I first came into college I did not think I would do international missions. I was pursuing a degree in Biblical Studies with the hope of becoming a pastor or working full time in a local church. I knew I wanted to travel, but more so for vacation and fun rather than my career. The Lord had other plans.
The summer after my freshman year of college I went on my first short term mission trip to Athens, Greece where I got introduced to refugees. Before this trip I was not very aware of the refugee crisis in the world or that it was an option to work with refugees as a career. I got to meet girls around my age, some a bit younger, who came from devastating circumstances in other countries. We were able to connect on such a human level, bonding over boys and music and going to the beach together. They felt so similar to me, yet I knew their stories were so different from mine and they were coming from places that I could never even imagine. This is when the Lord started to stir my heart for those that have been displaced.
Throughout my undergraduate degree, I had more opportunities to travel to different parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Through these experiences, the Lord continued to break and mold my heart into a position of deep compassion for individuals who come from global war and conflict zones. It came to a point where I realized I was passionate about working with refugees and decided to pursue that as a career path rather than a full time church position. Spring of my junior year of college, I was discerning whether to go international in pursuit of refugee work or if I should get my masters degree first. Through listening to the Lord’s voice, I decided to pursue experience on the field and get my masters later in life. This is when I was introduced to GoCorps.
I already knew I wanted to go back to the Middle East in pursuit of refugee work there. It would be a beautiful orchestration of a place I already loved, along with a great opportunity to do the work I was preparing for. GoCorps connected me with my sending organization and the steps to go were in motion. Four years ago, I would have been shocked if you told me I would be moving to the Middle East. Yet, the more I move forward in the process, the more I feel this vocation aligning with who I was created to be. It’s not only that the Lord is asking me to obey Him in this, but through walking with Him, hand-in-hand, I am starting to lead a life that feels deeply interconnected with my calling and who He has created me to be.