Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The clock is ticking...

It's almost time for Ecuador! As I think about the decision and process of planning for Ecuador, I am reminded that God is bigger than any and every situation in my life...In fact, he is ENORMOUS! God has shown that he is working throughout this process and will provide everything that I need now and in the future.  In my case and for every follower of Jesus, this biblical truth gives us HOPE (Spanish translation: ESPERZANA) for our future! For this reason, my blog title reflects this truth as a reminder to me that God is bigger and has a plan for my life!

In Ecuador, I will be serving at the Happiness Foundation as an English teacher. I am excited to see how God is working in Ecuador and know that He has great plans for this foundation. Since college, I have always wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country and teach English. God blessed me with an amazing teaching position after graduation, so I felt God was using me in different way. Throughout talking with people at my church, I began to see that this summer might be a perfect time to go abroad and teach English, and we began exploring opportunities in Ecuador.

Then, I had to make a decision. Is this really what God wanted for me right now, or is this just a girl with a dream? If you know me really well, you know that I am an analytical person and sometimes a little indecisive--meaning I sometimes (well most of the time) over think any and every conversation or action that I have or do. As a result, I can't ever seem to make up my mind. :) Needless to say, making the decision was not easy for me! I weighed the pros and cons of the trip, spent a lot of time in prayer, and talked with Christian friends and family.

In every reason I had for staying home, I was just reminded that God is bigger than that particular area of my life or what might could happen in the future. It also became clear that God gives us a command in the Gospels to go to the nations and tell them about Him. After giving it much thought and prayer, the reasons for staying home sounded more like excuses or fears than legitimate reasons. So..I decided to go!

I will continue to update regularly (I hope!) so that you will see that God is working in Ecuador and is bigger than me, my experiences, and my life. I hope you will also see that God has a plan that offers hope for the future! Please continue to pray that God will use me in a mighty way for His glory.