The Countdown Continues

So instead of us leaving the country when they force us to say goodbye to all our friends and family, they send us to Chicago for a week to "prepare" us for our year of service as a YAV. There is nothing that they can really say to prepare us for our experiences, but they are trying anyway. It is a good time for all of us to get to know the people that we are going to our countries with, as well as meeting the other YAVs going to various other countries...which has been quite interesting! There has been lots of time of Bible study, informational sessions, small group discussions and even some free time. It has really been great getting to hang out with people who are experiencing a lot of the same things that you are, and are preparing for the same adventure that you signed on for.
Saying good bye to my family on Sunday was a pretty hard thing to do. In hugging my parents and everyone, I tried to remind them that it was only going to be a year, and that I would be back before they knew I was gone...all the time saying that for my benefit as well. I am so thankful that I have a family that cares so much about me and is proud of me...and I know that when I get back, they will be there waiting for me.
As 5am Monday draws closer (the time I leave for the airport), I try to shake off the fears that have developed of not knowing enough Spanish, and focus on the fact that this is what God has for me at this point in my life. He has gone there before me and He will be there to help me. There will be tough times and there will be wonderful times, and He will be there in the midst of it all.
The next time you hear from me, I will be in my new home country of Peru. We have some in country orientation before we move out to our placements, so I am not sure how long it will be before I can write again. I look forward to sharing with you about my trip to the country and what its like to embrace a new home, something so different from anything that I am used to. I realized at the airport that I was saying good bye to North Carolina for longer than I had ever been away before...a whole 10 days! But I am looking forward to life in Peru and seeing what God is doing there and how I can be apart of His work, and join in community with the people there.

Welcome to my life...

I thought that I would kick this thing off with a little bit about how I got to this point in my life. I am going to warn you now, this could get a little bit lengthy!

For some time now I have really been struggling with where God was leading me and what He wanted me to do with my life. For too long I have tried to plan out things well into the future, and the problem with that is that I was planning things the way that I wanted them to turn out. I believe that everything that I have done in my life up to this point, has been getting me ready and has been leading to this point. Not only that, but that the experience I will have over the next year in Peru, will be training me and getting me ready for the next steps that God has in store for me, whatever that may be. I have no idea what God wants me to do a year from now, but that's ok, I know what He wants me to do now, and that when the time comes for me to know the next step, He will be there to help me take it.

I first felt God calling me into the mission field in the summer of 2003 at our youth mission trip to Charleston, SC. It was pretty clear that God wanted me to serve Him in a better way than I was doing, but I didn't really know how to go about that. So, I didn't change much at all. I stayed where I felt comfortable, and took on a few more responsibilities at church, and decided that I would look into going to seminary, all the while knowing that nothing was going to happen any time soon because I wasn't ready.

Over the next year, I continued living my comfortable life, not stepping out on faith, or really getting involved in too many things that would take me out of my comfort zone. While I didn't really change anything for God, He was slowly changing things for me, preparing me for something that I did not know was coming. As I became more involved in the leadership of the youth group at Mebane Presbyterian, God was using that to get me ready for His next calling on my life.

As I began to find out that I couldn't run from God for too long, I began applying to seminary, thinking that that was my next step, just to discover, that it wasn't exactly going to be as easy as I thought it was to listen to God. After being turned down from several schools, I was at a loss. What was it that I was supposed to do? And why wasn't it clear?

In my search for what was next, I came upon a program offered by the Presbyterian Church (USA) called the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. After looking into the specifics, it looked as if this might be the next step. After many interviews and a lot of praying, it turns out that God was preparing me for ministry in Peru...So that's why I took so much Spanish!

As I look back over the time I have spent at MPC, I see so many ways that God has prepared me for this next great adventure with Him. I have been given opportunities there to lead worship, bible study, mission trips, and be a part of the ministry they are doing in the community. And most importantly, He has given me a support group, a church and a youth group that loves me and is praying for me and I listen to His call. I have learned so much from the youth and my fellow leaders and now I have been given an opportunity to share that with others.

As I said my goodbyes at church yesterday, I was reminded of that over and over again, I have a church family there who loves me and will be praying for me. As I step out with God to help in His work, I am very blessed to have that kind of support.