During this past March, I was sitting in the youth service listening to our missions pastor speak to the youth about missions, both within their own circle of influence and about overseas evangelism missions trips. He said something that really struck me this year "Your life with God should always be an adventure." Now I don't think that means you have to be traveling all the time, but in essence, your life should be exciting with God. He never intended it to be dull.
After hearing that, I realized that I really hadn't been tapping into the potential that God has placed in me...I wasn't really living an adventure with Him. Since that day, I've been doing my best to change that. I truly believe this year has been geared towards me focusing on the strengths, abilities and gifts that God has put in me; helping me figure out my purpose, my passion and the next steps in life. It has been definitely a year of struggles and lots of unanswered questions still linger out there sometimes, but I've learned that if I don't have the answer, go back to the last thing God told me to do.
This year I went on my first overseas missions trip to Costa Rica. It was definitely a different experience for me; I'd never been out of the country or even witnessed to a stranger on the street. For the majority of the trip (ok really all of the trip), I kind of stayed back and observed, prayed in the background, etc. I'm still unsure why I felt I was supposed to go on the trip, but I learned a lot about trusting in God and being led of the Holy Spirit.
(Drinking Green Tea at the end of our very long first day (up for almost 24 hours straight)
I am a planner. I like to have things mapped out to a T. Being a tax accountant we have strict deadlines. We have projects to complete, there are tax rules we need to follow, there is always a plan, we're always looking ahead, always planning for the next steps. It's all about planning for what might happen next. I think the rigid structure of my job gets in the way of me listening to and being led of the Spirit. Sometimes God just wants me to be still and listen.
While we were in Costa Rica, we talked about what it means to be led by the Spirit. In Costa Rica, there are lots of parks/squares that people go to sit and wait for the bus, sell their products, read, study, etc. There are lots of people for this tiny little space, especially in downtown San Jose. With all of that noise, it's easy to get distracted and disconnected from what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you. I think this is true for my job as well. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of work to do in a short amount of time and I tend to have those "freak out" moments, when the Holy Spirit is trying to talk to me and tell me how to get it done efficiently or to show me what steps are next.
I think God also wants me to learn to stay connected to Him to be more observant to the people around me in my job. I need to remember that I'm not just here to make money and then go home for the day. He put me in this position for a reason, He gave me the ability to this job and gives me the grace to continue to do it each day. But I'm here for His purpose and I need to stay connected to His presence to fulfill that. Hmm..and at first I thought I had learned nothing on that trip :) I was wrong once again haha.
Other than Costa Rica I've been very blessed to go on a couple additional trips this year, including one to Chicago with one of my best friends from college. I've also just enjoyed spending time doing things in Minnesota. I've decided to enjoy the time I get to have an Earth until He comes to take me home. While not every day is filled with excitement and I still have many frustrating moments, I'm learning to rely more on His grace and less on my own ability.
Here are two of my favorite pics from Costa Rica!! Way too many to choose from honestly :)
(I just loved how there was fresh fruits/veggies all over the place)
(The beautiful Pacific Ocean. God's ability to create amazes me every day)
