I can hardly believe
these things as I sit here and reflect on what it is I’d like to tell you about
how God has led me to where I stand today. So, I guess I’ll start as close to
the beginning as possible—Going in to college I was convinced I was going to be
a Physical Therapist; so, my major was Exercise Science. After a year of
absolutely hating it and just realizing there is nothing in me that cared about
being a Physical Therapist, I felt a strange allure to Political Science and on
top of that Christ has given me such a heart for people. The combination of the
two landed me in UT’s interdisciplinary program of Global Studies with a
concentration in Politics and Economics. It was as if God created this major
just for me because I had the privilege of learning about how government and
economic systems work throughout the world while also getting a snap shot of
various cultures and people. (However, I realized this in hindsight because for
a while I had no idea why in the world I was studying all these things.)
As time progressed and I found myself learning about parts
of the world I never knew anything about (or cared about for that matter), my
heart began to break more and more for the people living in underdeveloped
countries who were at such a disadvantage to the large “first-world” countries.
I began to get the strange feeling that I would one day find myself in one of
these underdeveloped countries for an extended period of time. No matter how
hard I tried to shake it, I simply could not. There is something in me that
cannot stand the idea of other people, children of God, not having the
opportunity to receive an education in the same way I’ve been blessed with one.
I hate the thought of people being doomed to unemployment because of that lack
of education. I hate the thought of corrupt governments not attempting to
remedy these problems. And I know all of this comes from the Spirit of Lord
calling me to action.
For almost a year now I have found myself reading and
writing these words in my journal over and over again: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of
vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who
grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil
of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for
the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore
the places long devastated; they will renew the cities that have been
devastated for generations. – Isaiah 61:1-4
These words, the same words spoken by Jesus himself in Luke
4:18-19, are exactly what I know the Lord has created me to be a part of. God
has finally confirmed this and presented me with the opportunity to go to
Yetebon, Ethiopia in Africa for 10 months to volunteer teach with a faith-based,
non-profit organization known as Project Mercy. Project Mercy has committed
itself to several programs including Healthcare, Nutrition, Skills Development,
and Education Enhancement in order to fully develop the impoverished community
of Yetebon and to do it all in the name of our Lord. The Lord has greatly
blessed Project Mercy in growth with these various programs which has allowed
me to be a part of it. Medhane-Alem School (the school on the compound where I’ll
be teaching) has grown exponentially and is now in need of more teachers who
speak proficient English. Because of this need God has blessed me with the
privilege to go and serve this community by means of teaching at Medhane-Alem
School. As far as what subject or subjects I’ll be teaching is still to be
determined but the most important thing is that I’ll get to form long-lasting
relationships and try my hardest to represent Christ within them!
So, this is where I sit now. I have two months before I
depart on the journey of a lifetime and I could not be more excited (there just
isn’t a word in the English language that could capture the emotions I feel
about this!) My mind is blown and most days I’m not even sure why Project Mercy
has agreed to allow me to be a part of their beautiful mission of creating a
completely holistic community. I’d be lying if I said I don’t question whether
or not I’m competent to step in to the position they’ve asked me to fill. But
then God swoops in and transcends that fear and replaces it with a blanket of
peace (isn’t that just so typical of how He works?) He reminds that I am His beloved
and that He is the one who created the way for me and with Him all things are
possible!
I really hope to keep this blog as updated as possible
throughout this entire journey. I hope you continue to check it and not because
I think I have anything all that interesting to say but, I will be posting
prayer requests on here. If you will, I ask you to be a prayer warrior and
fight with me for the people of Yetebon who have already stolen my heart. I
hope that through this prayer partnership we learn how to depend completely on
our Father to meet our needs and desires. Above all, no matter what happens, I
hope that we may lift our voices in praise and that the Lord will be glorified!
Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. May the
Lord bless you and keep. May He make His face to shine upon you!
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