I have been travelling pretty much all day and I am finally in Paris. A small part of me feels like I am having a (deep) spiritual connection with Julia Child right now, in this place, but I am trying to stay focused on the trip itself (trying!). Everything in me wants to just stay in Paris, knowing that all of my culinary dreams and passions would be fulfilled here, but again, that is not my purpose on this trip. I am yet again reminded of how fading all of my material, macaron and fois gras filled dreams are, and how eternal the impact of spreading the Gospel to those around the world is. God will never let me forget the eternal things, the important things... and I hope that He never does. I truly believe that God puts different talents and passion in people for very specific reasons and purposes. Cooking (next to Jesus) is also one of my many loves. (Those of you that know me, know that.) It was an internal battle when I felt God calling me to missions instead of to cooking. I have learned since that no dish, flavor, or plating presentation can compare to the eternal reward of spreading the Gospel to God's children everywhere (young and old). Some dishes may taste like Heaven, but they do not get you there. I do believe that God will use my passion for cooking within my ministry in a specific way (and I may even get to culinary school some day who knows ?!?), but until then I will cook and do missions... and cook some more, but I will always remember (and forget a lot and have to have God remind me) that my passions and talents should never come before God's will for my life. The Lord gives gifts, talents, and passions not to be a substitute for His plans, but to work within His plans and within His time.
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2/2/2018 0 Comments India Journal Entries Coming!During my time in India, I kept a journal and attempted to journal as much as possible about every aspect of my trip. I really wanted to be able to share with my supporters as well as be able to look back later and see how I handled and what I thought about every aspect of my trip. Since I almost filled up my entire travel journal with entries, I will post my journal entries separately according to the day that I wrote them (I wrote entries multiple times per day). I hope that you are able to follow along with me as you read my journal entries and are able to get a glimpse into everything that God did while I was in India.
12/25/2017 0 Comments My Travel SandalsI figured I couldn't just talk about the great bargain that I got on my travel sandals without actually showing you them. So these are my new sandals I will be using on my trip to India as well as my future trips. They are Croft & Barrow brand and the size that I got is 8.5. You can see from the right photo that these shoes are normally $60 and I got them for $1.20 (woop! woop!) Disclaimer: I normally where a 9.5/10 in tennis shoes. Croft & Barrow shoes have always been large on my feet so an 8.5 in this brand fits my foot like a glove. Whenever I buy any shoes (and clothes for that matter) I tend to try and get only neutral colors. I personally prefer neutral everything but also neutral shoes will go with any outfit that I wear.
I have been wearing these sandals pretty much since I bought them in order to break them in as much as I can before I head off to India. I have had the bad habit in the past of buying new shoes right before my trip and forgetting to break them in before I go on the trip. I cut it a little close this time, but these sandals haven't really given me any trouble so far. One thing that I was looking for in a travel sandal (aside from being a neutral color) was the ability, if I really needed to, to wear socks with them. These sandals have that ability since they do not have any straps between individual toes. In the occasion that I would have to wear socks with these, I would have that ability without any restrictions from the shoe itself. Overall I love these shoes and so far they receive no complaints from me. I will be posting updates about how these shoes hold up throughout my trip. 12/23/2017 0 Comments Stress-filled Missions MomentsMany people tend to talk about and focus on the fun and beautiful moments when they discuss their mission trip or when they are preparing for one. By nature, we don't like to talk about the ugly moments in missions. Now I have no experience in long term missions. I have only taken a couple overseas missions trips in my life, but I have traveled quite a bit. In the midst of a broken home where I packed a bag every weekend, to traveling for Girl Scouts and in addition traveling for vacations and volunteering and finally now traveling for missions. There is a certain amount of stress and anxiety that comes with traveling in general, but I feel that stress seems even heavier when it comes to going on a missions trip. You are not just traveling for fun, you are traveling with a purpose.
I have found that right before I go on a missions trip, whether across town or across the world, I get this anxiety that causes even the smallest of things going wrong to set me over the edge-- like I wasn't dangling off the edge in the first place. This anxiety is sometimes not just out of nowhere but because of something I did. I didn't figure my time right or made travel arrangements that would arrive a little later than ideal (I didn't do that this time at all...) but no matter the cause, it is there... lingering and eating away at me. What happens if I don't do everything perfectly right? What happens if I get there and I say something wrong or someone doesn't like me on my team? The truth is that things might go wrong. You might not get along with your team or the people that you are working with. You will probably at some point say the wrong thing. (It would honestly be a miracle if you didn't) And that is okay. Because somehow in the midst of our vast array of imperfections, God uses us to show people His message. We are not always qualified and we are not always perfect for the job. But when God calls us, and we go... He honors our obedience and He promises that He will be there with us through it all. So in the midst of my minor heart attack and toddler-like crying episode tonight when I realized that I would probably need to change my travel plans to Chicago, a combination of my mom's compassion and God's unending reassurance and peace helped me figure everything out and I am coming to a conclusion on other options. That's just my one moment of stress throughout this trip. Yours may look really different. In fact, everyone's stress and situation is usually very different, but our God is always the same. So no matter what "travel stressor" you are experiencing right now, just know that God has most likely placed people in your life that can help you and you can ask God for peace and wisdom in your stressful situation. 12/23/2017 0 Comments A Blessing for $1.20I couldn't help but share my blessing of the day. Mom and I went to kohls to get her some tennis shoes and as always I went over and looked at the clearance. I have really been hoping to buy some travel type of sandals for my India trip and some other missions trips I am hoping to take in the near future. So there I was in the shoe clearance praying out loud for a pair of traveling sandals for India that would be under 5 bucks and I looked around and I found a pair of travel sandals for 1.20!!! And I have a 30% off so they ended up being basically $0.84. I am so excited to finally have a pair of sandals for my missions trips that I didn't have to pay a ton of money for.
I thought that I would share this as a reminder that God works through the big things (fundraising) and the small ones (Getting shoes) when it comes to missions trips as well as life in general. God may just be waiting for you to come to Him and ask Him for exactly what you need, and then provide it. 12/20/2017 0 Comments SEVEN DAYS!In the middle of finals and moving, I completely forgot to keep up with my fundraising posts for India! All of my deposits are in and my trip is paid in full. I leave in just SEVEN DAYS! (honestly, I cannot believe that) I am so excited for this trip and my team and I have all connected and are preparing everything that we need. I want to thank everyone for your support and for your continued support. Though the fundraising is over, the journey is just beginning! Please continue to pray for me and my team as we travel and work in India. I will post updates during the trip as I can but may refrain at certain points in order to be able to focus on what I am doing and not be focused on social media. As always, for any details or information please feel free to message me!
Thank you! 11/23/2017 0 Comments Life Update Post!Some of you may know, but I will not be returning to Central Christian College of the Bible next semester. I am sad to see my time at Central end, but I am so excited for the next part of my education. I will be coming back home for the spring semester and finishing an Associates degree at my local Community College. Next fall I will be transferring to a different 4-year university, there are several prospects, but right now the #1 is Emporia State University. Instead of counseling, I will be pursuing a pre-med biology degree. If Emporia is where I end up my degree will be in microbial and cellular biology. Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge science freak and that I have been contemplating going to medical school in the future for a while now. I have felt God pulling me in that direction all semester and I now know that it is time to take that next step. I only have a couple classes to take in order to finish my Associates at Central, so I am planning on continuing online at some point in the future to finish those classes and get a degree in Biblical knowledge from Central. I am so excited for what God has for me in these next couple semesters and in finding my way into medical missions in the future as a doctor instead of a counselor.
Also, I am so happy to say that yesterday I received my acceptance letter from Emporia State University!!! 11/23/2017 0 Comments Shirts and Shots!Fundraising shirts have come in and almost all have been delivered! Thank you again to those of you who have donated and bought a shirt. I am so excited to have supporters that are willing to proclaim freedom through Jesus Christ in their daily lives (and even on their apparel!). I also just got my Typhoid and Hep A shots in preparation for the trip. One of the shots was covered by my own health insurance, and the cost of the other was covered by your generous donations. Again, thank you!
I have been immensely blessed throughout the fundraising process as well as the prayer support process during this trip. Every time I have doubted that God would come through (yes, everyone has doubts!), someone has reached out to me with a prayer, donation, or both. God has provided exactly the amounts that I have needed for my deadlines, even if it was the night before the money was due. Even thought I have not even hopped on a plane yet, my faith has grown so much since applying for the trip. I encourage you, if you have not gone on a mission trip, to just go. It doesn't have to be across the globe. It could be in the next state or somewhere across the street. Do something that requires faith and that requires you to hold onto God and all that He has in store for you. We seem to so easily get comfortable in our little environments and we forget that there are people outside of it. People that so desperately need to know that they are a loved child of the King. If you have been wanting to go on a mission trip or find out more about the mission of God, I would love to talk with you, browse ideas, or talk with you about my personal experiences with missions. If I can't answer your questions I will gladly find someone that will be able to help you a little more than maybe I could! Thank you for all of your support throughout this whole process and please continue praying for this trip, because there is still so much to be done! 9/5/2017 0 Comments Are you ready for Christmas?I'm selling Merry Mail Christmas card and photo holders! Each Merry Mail card holder is $15 and 100% of the profit goes to my India mission trip over Christmas break. Join me in giving hope to human trafficking victims in India this Christmas!
Comment or message me to order! 8/26/2017 0 Comments Deposit Funded!My $300 dollar deposit has now been funded! My spot is officially secured on this mission trip, and I have been amazed at what God has done just in the last two weeks. I am amazed at people's generosity and I know that God is going to continue to provide and do great things.
My next deadline is September 28th, and the amount that I need to raise by then is $1800. I pray that you will join me in this mission and allow yourself to be used by God through generosity. There is no donation to small or too large to be used for the kingdom of God, so I encourage you to give whatever amount God is calling you to give. I also urge you to continue praying for this trip and for everything that God will do through my team. |