To Those who know me,
To Them that I hardly ever see,
To the People that I have barley gotten to know,
And to Those who know me all to well (and wish that I would wrap up this introduction!):
Greetings!
I am writing to tell you all about an amazing opportunity that the Lord has opened up for me.
I was also looking forward to a nice, long, "stay-at-home" summer with nowhere to go and nothing to do. God, however, had different plans in store for me. From May 19th - 28th I attended an "eye-opening" program called "Journey to the Heart." It was designed for young ladies to go up north and "meet God" in a whole new way. On the Journey I learned so much (!) and I couldn't wait to go back home and share all my "finds" with my family.
When I got home (that next day in fact) I overheard my mother talking about a missions trip that a friend of mine was planning on doing in Taiwan. I immediately got the chills as she continued to talk about the trip. She said that it started in July (like the 3rd or 5th) and it was a year long. I asked her to tell me more, and she went on to tell me that it was a paid position, and that the village was going to be an "Americanized" village where people would go to learn English and get the American experience without having to go too far from their homes! One would be able to teach English in their schools several times each day, and get paid by the country for it. People would also be working in the libraries, banks, etc.
Okay, this is the cool part - This organization would not only pay me monthly, but they would also pay for my flight there and back, along with my meals and my housing! Cool! However, the one main perquisites for it was attending Journey to the Heart - awesome! (I already had that one covered) Then, all of a sudden, I told my mom that I really wanted to go (I am still wondering what prompted me so suddenly)!
Little did I know what I was getting myself into...
Well, I got more info. from my friend and I emailed the lady in charge of it that night. Over the next few days we corresponded, but we kept running into one little (or, not so little) detail: I was only 16, and the age requirement was/is 18! I told her that I was still willing to go, and that if this was God's will, somehow I would end up in Taiwan. Well, she talked to her boss, who talked to his boss (Mr. Gothard) who said "Yes" to me going on the trip! So then I thought that I must really be crazy. Here I was, not yet 17, and I was going to teach English to a bunch of Taiwanese people when I am (personally) "not-so-hot" when it comes to learning (or speaking) English myself!!! Not only that, but when the lady in charge called (on June 4th), I hadn't even gone and applied for my passport yet! So my parents and I prayed about it, and I immediately went to go apply for it.
The people at the passport place were very friendly, but they told me that because of all the people traveling out of the country, that it would take at least 2-4 weeks for it to come in. Well, I explained to them that I needed it to be in Chicago within 2 weeks. They said that they would do what they could, but they could make no guarantees. Once again my parents and I prayed about it, and we knew that if it truly was the lords will, the passport would be in Chicago within 2 weeks.
Well, apparently it did , and on the 7th I got a call from the "Main Man." He told me that he was booking all of the flights for Taiwan, but as he looked over my application once more, he took note that I was only 16. He then told me that I could still go, but because of the "child-labor" laws in Taiwan, that I could not get paid for my work. He said that they would support me as best they could, but I would not be getting paid monthly. He also went on to say that because of the tight schedule, he needed to book my flight right then, or else I could not go for another 2 years. He said that the choice was completely up to me and my parents. However, my parents left the decision completely up to me, so I told them that the Lord had brought me this far, and that if this was truly His will that I would be just fine with the support that the Lord would provide. He said that was great and he booked my ticket for Taiwan right then. My parents told me later how proud they were of me and that this truly was God's will (because I in my flesh would never have chosen to do this without a steady income... ). However, I have no doubts that the Lord will provide for all of my needs.
Friends, I am at such a peace about this next year that I am 100% sure that this is of the Lord. Also, because their were so many little conflicts that kept trying to get in the way, I know that the Lord is going to do great things in Taiwan, and with much prayer, I will be able to see Mountains move!
I feel like Jeremiah the prophet, when God tells him that he is going to be His prophet. Jeremiah did not know how to do much at that time, for he was just a child, but God said that He had much bigger plans for his life if he would just trust Him! (Jer. 1:4-9) This is what God has called me to do, and even though I am not #1 when it comes to English, I know that He can do so much more in me if I can just trust Him fully!!
And now, friends, as I prepare to embark on this incredible journey, I ask for your prayers. As you have read, the Lord has already started to work wonders - imagine how much more that He is going to do!
To Them that I hardly ever see,
To the People that I have barley gotten to know,
And to Those who know me all to well (and wish that I would wrap up this introduction!):
Greetings!
I am writing to tell you all about an amazing opportunity that the Lord has opened up for me.
I was also looking forward to a nice, long, "stay-at-home" summer with nowhere to go and nothing to do. God, however, had different plans in store for me. From May 19th - 28th I attended an "eye-opening" program called "Journey to the Heart." It was designed for young ladies to go up north and "meet God" in a whole new way. On the Journey I learned so much (!) and I couldn't wait to go back home and share all my "finds" with my family.
When I got home (that next day in fact) I overheard my mother talking about a missions trip that a friend of mine was planning on doing in Taiwan. I immediately got the chills as she continued to talk about the trip. She said that it started in July (like the 3rd or 5th) and it was a year long. I asked her to tell me more, and she went on to tell me that it was a paid position, and that the village was going to be an "Americanized" village where people would go to learn English and get the American experience without having to go too far from their homes! One would be able to teach English in their schools several times each day, and get paid by the country for it. People would also be working in the libraries, banks, etc.
Okay, this is the cool part - This organization would not only pay me monthly, but they would also pay for my flight there and back, along with my meals and my housing! Cool! However, the one main perquisites for it was attending Journey to the Heart - awesome! (I already had that one covered) Then, all of a sudden, I told my mom that I really wanted to go (I am still wondering what prompted me so suddenly)!
Little did I know what I was getting myself into...
Well, I got more info. from my friend and I emailed the lady in charge of it that night. Over the next few days we corresponded, but we kept running into one little (or, not so little) detail: I was only 16, and the age requirement was/is 18! I told her that I was still willing to go, and that if this was God's will, somehow I would end up in Taiwan. Well, she talked to her boss, who talked to his boss (Mr. Gothard) who said "Yes" to me going on the trip! So then I thought that I must really be crazy. Here I was, not yet 17, and I was going to teach English to a bunch of Taiwanese people when I am (personally) "not-so-hot" when it comes to learning (or speaking) English myself!!! Not only that, but when the lady in charge called (on June 4th), I hadn't even gone and applied for my passport yet! So my parents and I prayed about it, and I immediately went to go apply for it.
The people at the passport place were very friendly, but they told me that because of all the people traveling out of the country, that it would take at least 2-4 weeks for it to come in. Well, I explained to them that I needed it to be in Chicago within 2 weeks. They said that they would do what they could, but they could make no guarantees. Once again my parents and I prayed about it, and we knew that if it truly was the lords will, the passport would be in Chicago within 2 weeks.
Well, apparently it did , and on the 7th I got a call from the "Main Man." He told me that he was booking all of the flights for Taiwan, but as he looked over my application once more, he took note that I was only 16. He then told me that I could still go, but because of the "child-labor" laws in Taiwan, that I could not get paid for my work. He said that they would support me as best they could, but I would not be getting paid monthly. He also went on to say that because of the tight schedule, he needed to book my flight right then, or else I could not go for another 2 years. He said that the choice was completely up to me and my parents. However, my parents left the decision completely up to me, so I told them that the Lord had brought me this far, and that if this was truly His will that I would be just fine with the support that the Lord would provide. He said that was great and he booked my ticket for Taiwan right then. My parents told me later how proud they were of me and that this truly was God's will (because I in my flesh would never have chosen to do this without a steady income... ). However, I have no doubts that the Lord will provide for all of my needs.
Friends, I am at such a peace about this next year that I am 100% sure that this is of the Lord. Also, because their were so many little conflicts that kept trying to get in the way, I know that the Lord is going to do great things in Taiwan, and with much prayer, I will be able to see Mountains move!
I feel like Jeremiah the prophet, when God tells him that he is going to be His prophet. Jeremiah did not know how to do much at that time, for he was just a child, but God said that He had much bigger plans for his life if he would just trust Him! (Jer. 1:4-9) This is what God has called me to do, and even though I am not #1 when it comes to English, I know that He can do so much more in me if I can just trust Him fully!!
And now, friends, as I prepare to embark on this incredible journey, I ask for your prayers. As you have read, the Lord has already started to work wonders - imagine how much more that He is going to do!
