{Light}

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them...But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it said: 'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' " - Ephesians 5:8-14

The idea of light has been very fascinating to me recently. Jesus is the light of the world, and as followers of Jesus, we are also commanded to be the light of the world. But why? Light has a profound effect on darkness. Even if there is just a small light in a dark room, it will penetrate the whole space. What was once unseen will now be visible. Light wakes us up and pierces our eyes in the morning. The light of the sun is so powerful that we can't even look directly at it. Likewise, the light of the Son is powerful. We were asleep in darkness, oblivious to the truth, but Jesus shined his light upon us and woke us from our slumber. Jesus continues to pierce our hearts and exposes the darkness in our lives. His power is undeniable, and once we truly encounter Him, we cannot be the same. Once Jesus has impacted us, He will permeate throughout our lives. And in turn, we will spread His light to others and expose the darkness in the world around us. We cannot be "children of light" if we ourselves have not truly experienced the life-changing power of Christ.

I received the following graduation card recently regarding light. Normally I think greeting cards are cheesy and insignificant, but this one struck me deeply. It is not a Christian card either, but I think it perfectly describes the light that we as followers of Jesus are called to be in this dark world.

"If I could give you anything, I would give you a candle that burns as brightly as the light within you. I would tell you to keep it burning, no matter what. I would say don't let the well-intentioned extinguish it. Don't let the mean-spirited blow it out. Don't let your light flicker and fade because of everyday challenges and concerns. The world is large, and no one can illuminate it alone, but it is amazing how a single candle, burning brightly, can light so many others. The world needs your light. Hold your candle high." - Hallmark

The world doesn't need my light; it needs the light of Christ! If we hold up His light, people will be drawn to it and changed for eternity. I pray that I would be a beacon of light for the remainder of my days.

{My Story}

Reflecting on my past, I can see that my passion for international service began at a young age. I always enjoyed GAs at church and was eager to learn about other cultures and how God was working in those places. Through middle and high school, I was excited to participate in church trips, and I have always had a desire to help other people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In 2002, at our church’s first Global Impact Celebration, there was a commitment night where people could fill out a card committing to pray for church planters, go on short-term trips, give financially, or even commit to full time service. At that time, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to commit to full time service; however, for the next six years I didn’t receive any further direction from God, so I started to doubt the legitimacy of that decision and assumed it was a decision that I had simply fabricated myself.

However, as Scripture promises, God is faithful to complete the work He has begun within us, and two summers ago, while studying abroad in Spain, God began stirring that desire for international service in my heart again. Through a close relationship with a Spaniard, God broke my heart for her salvation, and I began to weep for her. I had never cried over someone’s salvation before; this was the initial experience that God used to burden my heart for Spaniards and open my eyes to the idea of international service. As the trip continued, I fell in love with the Spanish people and culture even more. After these experiences, I desired to return the next summer to see if this is indeed the path God has for me.

Last summer, I traveled to various cities in Spain to work with different churches and their ministries in the community. In each city I visited, I built wonderful relationships and got to share the good news with at least one person. Not only did God present many opportunities to share the good news, but He allowed my spiritual gifts to thrive! I have never seen my spiritual gifts as strongly as I did last summer, and it was such a joy to be fully serving God with the gifts He gave me. God also opened multiple doors for me to return to Spain after graduation, confirming that Spain is where He was leading.

One open door was an opportunity to be on a university ministry team in Madrid. I was in contact with the team leaders in Madrid and all of their ideas, passions, and ministry philosophies aligned perfectly with mine, so I automatically assumed this was where God wanted me to be. However, two weeks before my interview in Richmond, I received a phone call from the man saying that there was not enough funding to send me to Madrid and that there probably weren't any other Spain jobs available either. I was upset but at the same time, God gave me an overwhelming peace about the situation and allowed me to surrender my placement to Him. I no longer told God where I wanted to go, but I asked Him to send me where He wanted me to go.

When I got to the interview I found out there was one job available in Seville, Spain, working with children and youth ministry. One day in our small groups we shared our callings, and another girl in my group began to talk about Spain and her love for the people. Later, she approached me and said that the Seville job was written for her, so basically this meant that I couldn't apply for it. However, she told me that she was going to be getting engaged soon and wanted me to have the Seville job! I wasn't sure though because I wanted to work with a university ministry. The next day I had the opportunity to call the team leaders in Seville, and before I could tell the lady about my desire to work with university students, she told me the job would not be with children and youth but rather with university students!! This absolutely sold me on the Seville job, and I was so blown away at how God worked everything out in such a cool way!