Getting Started!

Woot! It's starting! I have begun to organize missions! You don't understand how excited I am right now. This summer I will be taking our youth group to Costa Rica through Surge2010. It's a Vineyard Eastern Regional Youth trip. It's going to be powerful. So far I have 9 people going on the trip and word just got out this week about.

The other one that is in the works is a mission to Haiti. After the earthquake hit them, I immediately felt that we had to go and help! I've contacted STEM Int'l (I went to the DR with them in 2008) and have expressed interest! Keep these trips in your prayers and that God uses us this summer.

Application Complete

Hey All,

Most of you won't see this until I actually start going on short term missions, but I finally completed my application to become a STEM Int'l short term mission leader. It was an intense, 9 page, back/front application with really in depth questions that required a lot of prayer and drafting. But it's finished! And it's sent in!

I got connected with STEM Int'l last summer when I went to the Dominican Republic. I felt God tell me to go on a mission by myself, meaning with no one I knew. At first it was really scary, but I wanted to be obedient to His calling. It was an amazing trip. I stayed with a wonderful family for one month driving in and out of a village called La Antonia everyday. We put concrete floors in, built a latrine, filled in the water line for a water pumped, and rebuilt an entire house around the old existing house.

One of the leaders was the VP of STEM Int'l, Jim Levin. Him and I had many talks about what it takes to be on the mission field. After every single one of our talks, God would nudge me a little bit and tell me that this is where I'm suppose to be. It's true, I feel the most at home when I'm helping others and sharing Jesus' love.  

A year later, I went to the STEM Int'l annual Missions Conference. I met awesome people that work full-time and be a short term mission leader. I got a hold of an application and when I got home I started filling it out. I knew it was God because it took me 1.5 months to complete the application. There was a lot of opposition from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (sorry I'm reading Book 6 of Harry Potter at the moment :) ).  The moment I put the application in the mailbox, I felt an amazing peace come over my body and just knew that this next step in my life was the right one. 

I am really excited for the years ahead. I'll go on 2 or 3 trips as a LIT (Leader in Training) then begin leading my own trips. This position will hopefully allow me to lead some trips from my own home church. God is amazing and keep this in your prayers!