*This is a quick repost of a blog I posted about two months ago. It gives a quick summary of what I've been up to and what I'm going to be doing at the first of the new year. A lot is coming up as I prepare and fundraise and wrap up my season at Heartlight. Enjoy! 

Let me give you a quick timeline of events in my life the past year. January 4th I started working at Heartlight Ministries in Hallsville, Texas. It’s been quite an experience to say the least. In summary my job is parenting on steroids cause I live with 9 troubled teens. Every day has been a challenge with pockets of smiles, laughter, successes and joys. I’ve come face to face with the ugliness of sin in this world and how it is tearing apart our teenagers lives. I’ve also had to face my own insufficiencies to provide these girls with what they need.

All in all it’s been a very challenging season I am ready to close, but the lessons I have learned and the growth I’ve experienced have been absolutely worth it. In July I reached out to Adventures in Missions with interest to be an alumni squad leader for the World Race. In September I completed the application. A week after I had my first phone interview, the week after that I had my second. The next week I found out I was accepted to lead one of the January squads! Honestly I was shocked! The three weeks that I was completing the application and doing the interviews I was in a huge battle of questioning if I would be prepared mentally, emotional and spiritually to be a leader of a squad. I will just be finishing up at Heartlight before I jump straight into the World Race.

I toyed with the desire to take a season of rest after Heartlight just to check-in on myself and give myself time to process all I’ve been through the past year. However one day when I was driving home to visit on my off days, the Lord put the thought in my head that maybe doing the World Race was going to be my season of rest. Crazy thought, right? But the more I really thought about it, God was right (as He always is). I love missions, traveling, community, worship, ministry, challenging living conditions, pushing myself, living a minimalistic lifestyle. To me all of those things are restful and rejuvenating…well mostly anyways:) So I said yes! Yes to five months on the field with other brothers and sisters in Christ who are passionate about sharing the love of Christ.

In two weeks I’ll be meeting my squad at training camp in Georgia. More details coming soon! Just wanted to give you all a brief update on the next chapter of my story that is quickly about to begin. I know I can't do this without my faithful prayer warriors going with me in Spirit. Excited to go on this new adventure God has for me with you!