My Team
This summer I will be working with one full time staff member from LeaderTreks and one other intern like myself. The trip leader’s name is Shane, and my fellow intern is Larissa. Here is a bit of what I know about them already. Shane is a recent graduate of Wheaton college in Illinois where he majored in Christian Education. This is his first summer with LeaderTreks, but he helped lead a few spring break trips to the same part of KY that we will be in, so he definitely knows what to expect! Larissa just finished her sophomore year at Milwaukee School of Engineering. She is majoring in Architectural Engineering and hopes to be a missionary. I have yet to meet these two, but I am getting to know them a bit by phone and facebook and I am really looking forward to meeting them in person and begin working as a team.
Packing
Overwhelmed!! Let me outline my summer for you. First I will travel to Chicago (LeaderTreks headquarters) to meet my team and begin orientation for the summer. Next, all of the interns will travel up to Wisconsin for a few days of intern training. Following that we will all journey back to Chicago, and then split up to our various destinations. In KY we will be living in a youth center and therefore sleeping on the floor. So on top of clothes, toiletries, and everything other normal thing to bring on a trip, I need a sleeping bag, air mattress, and pillow. I have so much to bring! I do not usually put much thought/planning into packing, but this has taken some effort. Well there’s a first time for everything right?
Spiritually/Emotionally
When I think about this summer and the journey ahead I am filled with excitement and some nervousness. I have some insecurities such as being the youngest on the team, but I know that God is sending me here for a reason! I have been praying that God will prepare me emotionally and spiritually for this summer, and I believe that He is answering my prayers. Before I switched to the KY team, my first trip leader, Julie, challenged me to come up with something I wanted to work on this summer. A theme for myself. I have continued to pray about what that might be and I have settled on the idea of consistency. I tend to be up and down and all over sometimes when it comes to my emotions and my relationship with God, and I want to smooth things out. I hope to develop consistent patterns of prayer, Bible study, and living out my faith. I hope and pray that God will grow me in these areas this summer.
Prayer Requests
Pray that God would help me step into a servant leadership role this summer. It is my first time on that side of a missions trip, so I know I have a lot of learning to do.
Pray that God would help me squash insecurities that try to creep into my thoughts. This summer I want my mind to be filled with God’s truth.
Pray that I will not forsake my personal devotions and prayer time. While my main task will be to serve others, I am still a child of God and I need daily time with my Daddy!
Pray that God could work through me in the lives of my team members, KY locals, the youth, and church staff that will be accompanying them. This is the very reason I am joining LeaderTreks this summer and I know that my efforts alone would amount to nothing. I must get out of the way and allow God to work.
Thank you so much for praying for me and supporting me! I am leaving this morning for Chicago, and I will arrive at LeaderTreks tomorrow afternoon. I am so excited! I should be able to update this blog about once a week this summer, and I very much look forward to sharing my adventures and experiences. I cannot believe that this much anticipated summer is here! Praise be to God.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Beginning
The beginning of this whole experience has been mind-blowing. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a missionary. I went on my first missions trip my 7th grade year to Mississippi to help with the clean-up of hurricane Katrina. There were so many incredible experiences on that trip - and I was hooked! After that I jumped on every opportunity I had to go on a missions trip. I traveled to the Dominican Republic for the first time in March of 2009 and that trip changed my life. I thoroughly enjoyed being in a new country with a new language. I loved waking up every morning to a new adventure and working hard to meet physical needs. I thrived with the opportunity to love on people with sad eyes and doing my best to impart the love that I’ve experienced in Christ to them. It was then that a true passion for missions began to develop.
Almost immediately I started making steps toward pursuing missions. I got a job and saved every penny to put toward future missions trips. I collected opportunities and counted the days until I could go back on the missions field. The next summer I went back to DR, and then Mexico. And then the summer of 2011 I embarked on my greatest adventure of all. I spent almost 6 weeks living in the DR with the Gray family. I wanted to know what it would be like to live, as a family, as full time missionaries. If you would like to know more about this experience feel free to check out my old blog which can be found at www.siempreteamo.tumblr.com That trip grew my passion for serving the Lord through missions even more. It was one of the best times I can remember. I didn’t want to leave, and from the moment my feet touched American soil I was looking ahead to my next international missions experience.
And this brings me to this summer! I hit a panic moment mid-way through the school year thinking about the fact that I didn’t have a missions trip lined up yet for summer 2012. I thought I was facing a summer of working and I was not excited about it. When missions week came along at Cedarville I pounced on a table that offered missions internships for college students. About 2 weeks later, after my second phone interview, I was accepted and waiting on my assignment for the summer.
A few weeks ago that assignment came. Four weeks in the Dominican Republic and six in Honduras. I praised God! This assignment seemed like such a confirmation from Him of what I was supposed to do in life. I was beyond excited to have the opportunity both to return to a place that I love, the DR, and also to explore a new place, Honduras! And that’s when my joy began to morph into pride, I began to take my eyes off Jesus, and started to sink. The worst part? I didn’t even realize it. Looking back on myself just two weeks ago, I was on cloud 9. It seemed like my God had rolled out the red carpet for me to do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do. I started to feel like a special girl called and equipped and handed opportunity after opportunity to serve the least of these in some of the most exciting places on earth. God must have been up in heaven chuckling at me, because I had no idea what was coming.
My father began looking up information about Honduras and to my horror decided that the country was unsafe enough to ask me not to go. The weekend before last turned into some of the toughest couple of days I can ever remember, but they were also some of the best days too. On Friday when I got that call from my father I was devastated that my summer plans were falling apart. An opportunity that I had been so excited about was slipping right through my fingers. I cried out to God and then I slept. And my heavenly Father scooped me up and sent some dear friends to love on me. It was almost like He was distracting me while He was changing my heart. That weekend I experienced more love than I had in weeks. I reveled in simple joys of playing frisbee outside, and getting to walk alone with my Savior. Now, a week and a half later, I sit here a changed girl. Somehow the purpose of a call to missions had been slipping away from me, and God thought I needed a reminder. The purpose of my life should be to serve Him absolutely anywhere He asks me to go whether that be the missions field or not. God is constantly showing me again and again how to be humble, and giving my opportunities to grow. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to honor my dad in his decision. I am unique in that going to the ends of the earth holds no trepidation for me, but that means that sometimes God uses other experiences to grow me. After another week of uncertainty, I finally know what I will be doing this summer. LeaderTreks has come up with another assignment for me. I will be helping to lead missions trips to Clay County KY. While this is not something I would have chosen for myself, this is where God wants me to serve. Honestly, if this had been the original assignment I would have been disappointed. But God has renewed my heart and is teaching me to follow Him wherever He leads. Even if it is right next door. I am really looking forward to everything about this summer. I am honored to be able to serve my Father in heaven and I am looking forward to getting started. God is so good to me. It never ceases to amaze me how He is in control even when I forget that. Thank you, Father.
I have exactly a month! My intern training begins on June 1st. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me through prayer and also financial giving. I am confident the Lord will provide my support through the summer, and it is humbling to see money coming in from my friends and family. Thank you all so very much.
Almost immediately I started making steps toward pursuing missions. I got a job and saved every penny to put toward future missions trips. I collected opportunities and counted the days until I could go back on the missions field. The next summer I went back to DR, and then Mexico. And then the summer of 2011 I embarked on my greatest adventure of all. I spent almost 6 weeks living in the DR with the Gray family. I wanted to know what it would be like to live, as a family, as full time missionaries. If you would like to know more about this experience feel free to check out my old blog which can be found at www.siempreteamo.tumblr.com That trip grew my passion for serving the Lord through missions even more. It was one of the best times I can remember. I didn’t want to leave, and from the moment my feet touched American soil I was looking ahead to my next international missions experience.
And this brings me to this summer! I hit a panic moment mid-way through the school year thinking about the fact that I didn’t have a missions trip lined up yet for summer 2012. I thought I was facing a summer of working and I was not excited about it. When missions week came along at Cedarville I pounced on a table that offered missions internships for college students. About 2 weeks later, after my second phone interview, I was accepted and waiting on my assignment for the summer.
A few weeks ago that assignment came. Four weeks in the Dominican Republic and six in Honduras. I praised God! This assignment seemed like such a confirmation from Him of what I was supposed to do in life. I was beyond excited to have the opportunity both to return to a place that I love, the DR, and also to explore a new place, Honduras! And that’s when my joy began to morph into pride, I began to take my eyes off Jesus, and started to sink. The worst part? I didn’t even realize it. Looking back on myself just two weeks ago, I was on cloud 9. It seemed like my God had rolled out the red carpet for me to do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do. I started to feel like a special girl called and equipped and handed opportunity after opportunity to serve the least of these in some of the most exciting places on earth. God must have been up in heaven chuckling at me, because I had no idea what was coming.
My father began looking up information about Honduras and to my horror decided that the country was unsafe enough to ask me not to go. The weekend before last turned into some of the toughest couple of days I can ever remember, but they were also some of the best days too. On Friday when I got that call from my father I was devastated that my summer plans were falling apart. An opportunity that I had been so excited about was slipping right through my fingers. I cried out to God and then I slept. And my heavenly Father scooped me up and sent some dear friends to love on me. It was almost like He was distracting me while He was changing my heart. That weekend I experienced more love than I had in weeks. I reveled in simple joys of playing frisbee outside, and getting to walk alone with my Savior. Now, a week and a half later, I sit here a changed girl. Somehow the purpose of a call to missions had been slipping away from me, and God thought I needed a reminder. The purpose of my life should be to serve Him absolutely anywhere He asks me to go whether that be the missions field or not. God is constantly showing me again and again how to be humble, and giving my opportunities to grow. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to honor my dad in his decision. I am unique in that going to the ends of the earth holds no trepidation for me, but that means that sometimes God uses other experiences to grow me. After another week of uncertainty, I finally know what I will be doing this summer. LeaderTreks has come up with another assignment for me. I will be helping to lead missions trips to Clay County KY. While this is not something I would have chosen for myself, this is where God wants me to serve. Honestly, if this had been the original assignment I would have been disappointed. But God has renewed my heart and is teaching me to follow Him wherever He leads. Even if it is right next door. I am really looking forward to everything about this summer. I am honored to be able to serve my Father in heaven and I am looking forward to getting started. God is so good to me. It never ceases to amaze me how He is in control even when I forget that. Thank you, Father.
I have exactly a month! My intern training begins on June 1st. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me through prayer and also financial giving. I am confident the Lord will provide my support through the summer, and it is humbling to see money coming in from my friends and family. Thank you all so very much.
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