Hey friends!
It’s officially one week before I leave for training camp and it feels so surreal! For those of you who have been supporting me since I first was accepted to World Race Semesters, you know that I have been waiting for nearly two years to go on this mission trip. Due to the pandemic, I wasn’t able to go last summer, and I wasn’t originally going to be serving in Guatemala. My original trip to Africa last summer was canceled, so I signed up to go Nepal this summer. However, I am now going to be serving in Guatemala because we are unable to travel to Asia due to the travel restrictions. These past two years were extremely frustrating and I was mentally exhausted from trying to regain control over things that were out of my hands. I even began to doubt myself, questioning my abilities to live out God’s purpose for me. However, the Lord has taught me so much about who he is, and through it all he is faithful.
One of the greatest lessons the Lord has been teaching me is that I have to surrender control to him. I struggle with this a lot, and it’s not easy to let God take control, but doing so has shown me that in the midst of all the chaos in the world, he remains the one constant. Even when things aren’t going the way I planned, God is still working. It’s a hard concept to understand, and even more difficult to accept, but letting go of control has allowed me to see God’s faithfulness in every day. When I surrendered control, I also surrendered all the anxieties that come with having to be in control all the time. Realizing that those things were never burdens that were mine to carry has given me a peace beyond all understanding because I know I can trust God wholeheartedly. Because I can rely on God completely, the doubts of his purpose for me are gone too. I know that I can step out in faith for what the Lord is calling me to do because i trust he would never put me in a situation I wasn’t ready to be in! Trusting the Lord and his plan for me has only reassured me that he has given me the abilities to live out his truth and share his love with others in Guatemala!
Reminders of God’s faithfulness:
1 Chronicles 29:11
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exhalted as head above all.”
Psalm 9:10
“And for those who know your name and put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalm 22:4
“In your fathers trusted, they trusted, and you delivered them.”
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Romans 8:28
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Ephesians 1:11
“In him, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Looking back on the past two years, I am so grateful for what God has done in my life and I wouldn’t change anything. Everything that has happened in my life in the past two years has made me into the person I am now. When my trip got canceled last summer, God was telling me to be patient. After my trip changed three times, God was telling me to trust what he was doing and I was going to end up where he needed me to be. I truly believe that my time in Guatemala will be a life-changing and spiritually transformative experience that the Lord wants me to have. I am so blessed that God has given me this opportunity and I’m beyond excited to see how he uses me for his glory!
I can’t put into words how appreciative I am to have so many people supporting me on this journey. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to fully funding this trip and for all the prayers over me and my team! I will be posting on this blog consistently throughout my time in Guatemala to share my experiences with you all! Continue praying over this trip that it may be a trip that serves God’s people and grows his kingdom! God has been so faithful and I know he will only continue to show me his faithfulness throughout this trip!
