Plans change. Yep. They do.
So much has changed for me in the past few months that this is a long overdue update. I long for people in my life to know what the heck is up with me, but lately I have feared that if I told you each step of the way, and things keep changing the way they have been, that I would appear fickle and unstable! I was afraid of seeming blown by the wind. Now, looking back at what’s happened since January, I wish I had been writing updates all along because it would have been an awesome picture of God’s work in my life and how He leads from one thing to the next. Keeping a blog would have come in handy!
So here’s the story… I rang in the 2010 New Year from a rooftop in Indonesia, and I had every intention of returning there long-term. Long story short, I’m not going back to Indo. For various reasons, I was uneasy about stuff. When I finally let go of that dream I’d held for two years, I had to deal with feeling like a failure. I had quit my job and started seminary as steps toward going to Indo! What now?!??!
I began earnestly praying for direction, and God showed me that I do indeed still have a heart for missions, and the decisions I’ve made are not in vain.
I took a step back and looked at where God’s brought me in life. In college, I minored in Spanish and studied in Mexico, and I really enjoy the Hispanic culture. I enjoy volunteering at Hidalgo, a local Hispanic apartment complex, yet I always feel a little distant because I cannot speak Spanish fluently. I have a heart for Dallas, likely since my extended family has deep roots here, yet I also have a heart for international stuff. What was I to do?
I came up with a plan: go to Guatemala for a few years to really get to know the culture and language as well as get the experience of living in another country, and then come back to Dallas to put down roots and minister to Spanish speakers locally. Genius, right?
God had something else in mind. I went to my church’s mission department, and they offered me a different opportunity. It’s even better than my idea! The director of missions said he had been thinking it would be nice to have someone to coordinate and go on ALL the trips the church takes to Spanish speaking areas! That person would live in Dallas and be invested in Hidalgo, and then travel regularly taking teams to Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico! I felt my heart leap for joy at the very idea! This was a chance to blend some seemingly conflicting desires in me: to be near my family and invest in Dallas while also investing in and establishing long-term relationships in other cultures!
Parents and close friends have confirmed this role seems made for me, and I am bubbling with joy about it! The role would require raising support, and I like this idea because it means I would get to invite people to be an integral part of my life. Through partnering and communicating with friends, I could be their window into what God is doing in our backyard and in some other countries. They would invest in my work, and then I would steward what they offer and show them how others are impacted for the Lord through them! Fabulous.
Long-term plans are still in the works, but I do have some immediate next steps: I am leaving for Guatemala on July 10! I am helping run a one-week children’s camp that my church puts on every year, and then I am staying in Guatemala to go to language school for a few months!
God is creative. My plans evolve daily, but one thing I am sure of is that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine. (Paul agrees with me, and he said so in Ephesians 3:20.)
If you’d like to know details or to partner with me in all this, I’d love to hear from you!
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