This is the exact moment that I sat down on the Dominican shore, just me and God, and asked him that question I will never forget:
"God, is this really where you want me to go?"
It was a Saturday in June, 2010. I had broken away from the rest of the mission team and went to have one last conversation with God to confirm what I had been hoping for during the past 2 years. And needless to say, the rest is history. Looking back, that was one of the most beautiful days of my life. I hope you can remember a moment like this in your life; a moment where you knew exactly where you were going and had complete trust in God to get you there.
To me, it's amazing to see how God weaves a calling into an individual's life through all the ups, downs, and changes that person goes through. After I got up from that beach, I had a very clear direction for my life that has never wavered once. But looking back, I am a very different person from the girl who sat down on that beach and asked for God's plan for her life.
I went to college and learned more about him and about ministry. I made new friends and learned how to be a better one than I was before. I even went to a new country and saw God's beauty there. The girl in that picture was aching to move to the Dominican that very second, but that girl wasn't ready. Looking back, I needed every moment, every experience, to prepare myself for full-time mission work in the DR.
Since we started a new year, I thought I would read the entries in my journal from the past year. I didn't feel like I had changed that much through 2013, but looking back I could see the change in me happening. Of course, I did a terrible job of keeping up with it, but even through my sporadic entries I could see how different I was becoming. Each experience and each relationship I pursue leads me closer to God and forms me more into the person he has called me to be.
I would encourage all of you to look back on your past year, whether through a journal or through pictures or whatever will help you remember. And be encouraged by the change you see in your life. I hope you never feel stuck or that your life isn't going anywhere, because everyone is in motion. We are always changing in some way, and I know God has some amazing plans for my 2014 and for yours if we would only allow him.
So I know I'm a bit late, but happy New Year. It's going to be fantastic.
On another note, my dad, sister and I are headed to the Dominican in about 9 hours with a mission team to look for a house! Please pray that we will find a home for us and that God would continue preparing the way.
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