Hi! I will be going to Uganda with Mesa Global to serve at Hope58.
I have been drawn to missions since I was young, and I could not really tell you why. The dream stemmed from the exposure I was given by my home church in California, where I learned a lot about a nonprofit based in Rwanda. I remember being a young girl and dreaming about going to Africa one day, and I just thought that was the norm. This dream was present throughout high school, but then my first trip overseas was to Thailand. My trip to Thailand wrecked me in the most beautiful way and placed a deep burden for the nations on my heart. Coming home was so hard. I remember being so confused and frustrated with how the Lord could show me such a beautiful place with so much need, and then have 3 more years of high school and college ahead of me. After that was a journey of patience, trusting the Lord, and learning how to be obedient in the everyday. Fast forward to college, and I had the opportunity to go back to Thailand, and I was so excited. This was the first time the door to a trip overseas opened in my life after years of prayer. This trip confirmed that I wanted to pursue an opportunity overseas after college.
As I started to explore my options, GoCorps was familiar to me because I knew someone who was a Goer in 2020, and I was a part of Campus Outreach at the University of Tennessee, which partners with GoCorps. As I started exploring the open placements and where the Lord was leading me next, I fell in love with the heart of Hope58. It was the sweetest combination of so many passions and dreams of mine that I had honestly lost hope would be redeemed. My love for the Thai people remains deep, but I could not be more excited to learn a new culture and see how the Ugandan’s reveal and exemplify Christ and His character.
Hope58 partners with the local church in Eastern Uganda, equipping village pastors with biblical training, giving vulnerable girls Christ-centered vocational and life skills, and helping children get an excellent educational start. I am excited to see where I end up serving as my team, and I lean into the Lord’s guidance of what He has for me in this next season of life.
The Lord’s faithfulness and sovereignty have been made so clear in my life this past year. I am beyond humbled to partner with Him in the ministry He is already doing in this part of Africa. I am excited to meet Him there and come alongside those He has already called to help further His kingdom and mission. He is allowing me to step in and love His people in a new part of the world, and I could not be more thankful.
I know that was a lot of information, but my prayer is that you are encouraged by reading these bits and pieces of my heart and story. If you are reading this as a potential Goer, my encouragement is that you simply listen. Listen to Scripture, listen to His whisper, listen to the council of wise leaders around you. Then, follow through. Do what He tells you to, I promise it is worth the leap. If you are reading this as a partner of mine, thank you. If you have been with me since that first trip to Thailand, thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers. If you are a new partner, thank you. Thank you for listening to the Lord and coming alongside me in this partnership with the Lord and His ministry in Uganda.
Do not forget that the Lord is near and has shaped your heart and desires intentionally!