Hey everyone!! I just wanted to share my heart with all of you today on why I felt led to serve on this missionary trip! As some of you may know, I was blessed to travel to the
Dominican Republic back in August for a week. This was my first mission trip
and my first time out of the country, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew
this was something I had always wanted to do, but I was anxious about
leaving home. But, when we got there, it felt like I WAS home. My youth and I
were welcomed with open arms and the people were so so sweet. Being able
to serve their community, play with the kids, and watch families dedicate
their lives to Christ was so rewarding and nothing short of perfect. Even
though I was only there for a week, I have never felt so moved by everyone’s
spirit and inspired by the townspeople.
I left their country changed and ready to do more, but I wasn’t sure
where to start. I began to pray more and more about another missionary
opportunity, but I had no idea how big of a door God was about to open
for me. Out of the blue, links began to pop up on my feed every other day.
Most of them were just study abroad or for traveling purposes, but one day
there was a particular website that caught my eye called World Race! I
wasn’t sure what that was at first so I looked into it out of curiosity ya know,
and it happened to be a few different programs people could apply for to
go on missions! For each program there’s different time lengths and routes
you can apply for, and what’s crazy is that a few days later after seeing this,
I went to visit my sister in San Marcos and she had mentioned World Race to
me as well, not knowing I had been wanting to go on another mission trip…
Anywho! We starting looking at all of our options and under World
Race Semesters, one of the routes was a 2 month trip to Africa! This trip
consists of youth ministry, orphan care, and teaching which is a little of
what I had done in the Dominican! Before applying, I wanted to be sure this
is what I was supposed to do. I kept praying over this program and asked
God if this was His will for me, let it be done. “For His ways are higher than our ways…” But you know I still had that voice in the back of my head saying how BIG of a step this was, considering I’d be away from everyone and everything I knew for 2 months, sharing the gospel and love of God across the WORLD, fundraising and gathering everything together on my own, feeling this goal was too big for me to reach, and also feeling really unqualified in the midst of all of this. But God reminded me He doesn’t call the qualified He qualifies the called. He has told us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7). And lemme tell ya, my God threw signs left and right, giving me so much confirmation that this was the next step He wanted me to take. So, I did… when I told God that I was willing and I trust Him, He reached out His hand and we began to walk. With that being said, I applied to World Race Semesters, had an interview, and am so excited to announce that I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM AND WILL BE SHARING HIS WORD AND EVERLASTING LOVE IN AFRICA THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t even begin to tell y’all how excited I am about this new season
God is taking me through. I have become so close to God over the years,
but I have never been so deeply connected with Him until this past year.
Since my last mission, God has laid a heavy passion on my heart to serve.
Visiting the orphanage and schools in the Dominican is what inspired me to
keep going on missions. To help the children know how loved and adored
they are by God and to teach them to go to Him for comfort. I know God is
on the move and these kids have so much going for them, I’m just eager to
watch His plans all fall into place.
And lastly, I want to leave y’all with this… God has called each and
every one of you by name, that you are His. He doesn’t call just a handful
of people, but all of us. You were made with a purpose and God has given you a map to get to your destination, but you have to be willing to let Him drive you there. Listen to His directions and be willing to follow His route for your life. Be willing to share the good news, make disciples, and get people to the feet of Jesus. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6: 8-10). So, family and friends, I pray that you take this with you and together we all will walk hand in hand with God on this incredible journey.
Yours truly, Jamie Schroeder 🙂
