Sometimes a single word is all takes.
It was in college that I knew the Lord was calling me to medical missions. He had placed mission work on my heart when I was very young, but as I got older I became very concerned with security—money, comfort, and a stable career. It was a long—and still ongoing—process, but the Lord changed my heart. I learned that he is the only One in whom I can truly place my trust. I discovered that worldly security is false security—true security is found in trusting God alone.
Throughout college, I committed to a couple different mission trips, hoping that God would use them to clarify where he was calling me after nursing school. Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic, both trips were canceled. I had to seek the Lord in those seasons to see if he was closing the door to missions, or if he was trying to teach me something in the middle of it. I knew he was teaching me to persevere, so even in the waiting, I learned once again to trust his timing.
Around the same time that the second trip was canceled, the Lord opened the door for me to do a summer internship in Kenya at a mission hospital. During my time in Africa, I saw not only the value of medical missions, but also the heart of the Lord for the nations as well as his desire for his children to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others. Seeing patients make the decision to follow Christ was truly the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed!
During my senior year of college, I really sought the Lord’s will for my next step after graduation. There were so many wonderful opportunities to practice nursing in the United States, but I could not shake the desire to be back on the mission field. Over Christmas break, I went to a missions conference called Urbana and had the opportunity to connect with GoCorps. I placed my “yes” on the table during the last day of the conference, and the Lord once again taught me how to leave my plans in his hands. Over the next couple of months, the Lord continually made it clear that he was calling me to do medical mission work with YWAM Ships in Papua New Guinea. The Lord also provided a way for me to graduate college without student loan debt and removed all the hinderances that would have kept me from going. The Lord has proven his faithfulness throughout my life and I am so excited for what he has in store for this next season!
To anyone in a situation where the next step seems unknown or uncertain, I encourage you to pray, seek the Lord in scripture, and seek wise counsel. But don’t ever hesitate to step out and say “yes” to the only One who can provide a guarantee for the future. He will never fail.
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:20