“Aim High- Time Flies”

“Aim high, time flies”, was what my fortune cookie read last night. I have to giggle, yes giggle, at how true that statement is.  Today is my last day home and I’m sitting here thinking about how fast time has gone. It was exactly two years ago to the date that I filled out my Peace Corps application; but before that, I knew I always wanted to do some sort of short-term mission trip that lasted [longer than a week]….. *rolls eyes*.

When I started college in ’06 as a Nursing major (boy was I ever misguided!), I figured I would come out of college by ’10 and pursue  a career as a traveling nurse or do medical missions. Within my first 3 weeks of my freshman semester, I knew I needed a plan B! Having “my plan” thrown out the window was possibly one of the best things to ever happen to my life. After a lot of prayer, and I mean A LOT of prayer, I switched my major to International Business (while still keeping my minor in Inter-cultural Studies, i.e. missions) and started to investigate what I wanted to do with life after school. 

Having worked with several mission agencies I was aware of Christian mission boards that did short term mission trips or internships for two years. This was something that caught my eye immediately. Before ever considering Peace Corps, I was ready to submit my application for IMB Journeyman program. But for one reason or another, God did not lead me in that direction. This whole process up until this point has been everything but easy—I’ve worked my butt off. I’m glad to see one of my life long dreams come true. 

I’ve met some pretty amazing people over the past few years, and I’ve shared with them my upcoming plans. The majority of them have had the same response of enthusiasm, followed by “I wish I could do something like that”.  Today’s post is to encourage everyone who has said, “I wish I could”. I’ve had many road blocks and doors close in my face, but it never stopped me from pursuing my dream. So stop wishing, and DO!

Not everyone can just up and move overseas for 2 years, and I’m not saying that everyone should do something drastic. What I’m trying to get across is that anything is possible for those who have faith. Dreams are rarely accomplished overnight; it took me about 6 years to get me to this point—so be patient. It should also be noted that I did not accomplish this on my own, I had a team of people supporting me, but most importantly I had my faith in God.  My life verse has always been Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths”. Because I followed my heart and listened to God’s plan in my life, I never have to say “I should’ve”.