I have 4 different languages on my arm. One bracelet is in Spanish -- it says "Cuándo todavía estabamos, Christo se murió para nosotros." The other side is in English: "While we were sinners, Christ died for us." I received two bracelets from my students with Khmer for "Cambodia" on them. And on my thumb, I have a ring with my name in Korean letters on it.
My arm is very multinational, and my heart is feeling that way, too, in both good ways and difficult ways. I know I've had a summer I will never forget with being in 3 different countries... 4 if you want to count the US. It's been quite an adventure, but I feel like I've left pieces of myself along the way.
When I was in the Dominican Republic, I thought I knew where God wanted me to serve full-time after college. It made perfect sense -- I'm a Spanish major, they have a great need for teachers, and I already have a good relationship with the church and school there. But standing on a Korean rooftop and looking out at a city of lights, I felt at peace. I could see myself there, working with Korean refugee girls. And in the Cambodian village, my students asked me when I will come back. Riding on the back of a motorbike on a clear, cool night, I felt like I could be there for the rest of my life.
When I was in the Dominican Republic, I thought I knew where God wanted me to serve full-time after college. It made perfect sense -- I'm a Spanish major, they have a great need for teachers, and I already have a good relationship with the church and school there. But standing on a Korean rooftop and looking out at a city of lights, I felt at peace. I could see myself there, working with Korean refugee girls. And in the Cambodian village, my students asked me when I will come back. Riding on the back of a motorbike on a clear, cool night, I felt like I could be there for the rest of my life.
Much of our quiet times have been about unreached people groups, and while I knew about unreached people groups before this trip, I didn't think God was calling me there. I wasn't thinking in terms of "reached" or "unreached" -- just about people who need Jesus and how I could prepare for that place while in college. Now I wonder if I chose my major on my own without asking the Lord about it. Do I need to change it? Would God call me somewhere that is already reached but still has needs? Or is God calling me to the unreached? Is a Spanish-speaking country too "safe?" Where is His place for me in this world?
While these questions would normally stress me out, I feel more that my eyes have been opened to so many more people who need the hope of Jesus. I want to know the answers, but that's not for me to know right now. An old Taylor Swift song says, "Maybe I'm just a girl on a mission, but I'm ready to fly." Lord, please help me to have peace as I wait for your direction. Help me to be listening for Your calling. I will go wherever You send me. Lead me, and I will follow.
-Jadyn