the calm before the storm

While I am here, between seasons, I can see that it is the calm before the storm.  It has been a long journey to get here.  Last year was the hardest year of my life.  In January 2011, God shifted my desire from wanting to be a doctor to becoming a nurse.  To be honest, I was a little upset that He waited till my junior year at Mississippi State to show me this.  I could have easily taken two years at State and then two years at Nursing School and received the degree I need to become a nurse.  But I trusted that He knew best, and I remembered 1 Corinthians 15:58 saying nothing done for the Lord is vain. 

            It was not until that fall that I saw a glimpse of something God had for me, short term missions.  I already had a heart for South America after taking 4 years of Spanish in high school, so I started looking into different organizations.  And then the doors started closing, one after the other.  This confused me more than ever.  I knew I was supposed to go, but nothing was working out for me.  Without a clear answer I took a job as a nanny.  Someone wise told me that you cannot be guided unless you are moving, so I knew I should not just sit at home all semester.  Peru was on my mind and I was restless.  I remember lying in bed one night and I boldly asked God, “show me what to do about Peru tomorrow!”  The next day, I went to Starkville and had dinner with one of my friends.  She causally mentioned that her church was going to Peru at the end of May.  My heart jumped and I accidentally interrupted her and asked if I could go!  There it was, my answer! 

            Tomorrow, I will begin my last week as a nanny to the most precious newborn baby ever.  I will be ending a season of my life, and begin on a heart wrenching, sleep deprived year at nursing school! (That is what they tell me).  But I am ready.  And I will be starting this journey the best way possible, sharing the gospel in Peru. 

“Sing to the Lord, all the Earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

1 Chronicles 16:23,24