I just finished watching a video that was shown yesterday at Grace, my church at home. Its purpose was to encourage the congregation in missions and remind everyone that the core and heart of Grace is missions. There was something in the video -- maybe it was seeing God speak through my mom and my best friend's mom, or hearing people talk about Mexico -- that reminded me of why I am even here in Ecuador.
I think it's amazing when you can reflect on where you are in a certain moment and see the path that has led you to that specific place. It's happened to me several times, many of those have been in Mexico, but I realized again tonight the exact path that God planned out for me that brought me here, sitting at a desk in a room in a little house in the middle of the big city of Quito in Ecuador. And I strongly believe that that path started at Grace.
I was blessed to be raised in a church like Grace, a church with a heart of missions and an amazing youth ministry. It's there that I not only made some of my best friends, but also where I developed a heart for Latin America. That first mission trip to Mexico in 2006 started me on a path that took me back to Mexico time and time again, that ignited my passion for Spanish and for Latin America, that opened my heart to the Latino community in North Carolina, and that eventually led me here to Quito. The people that I had as my role models during that time -- my parents, my friends' parents, my youth pastors Sass and Casey (who is now serving in South Africa with his amazing wife Sarah, check out their blog!), and my leader and friend Kerry -- all influenced how I would come to view missions and the world. I praise the Lord for the path that He has taken me on, and I'm excited to see where it goes. I have come to the realization that I am here not only to study, to experience the culture, to explore the beautiful surroundings, and to meet great people -- all of those things are great. But most importantly, I'm here to bring glory to His name. I don't know what that looks like yet, but I certainly can't wait to find out.
"For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."
Wow, Colleen, so humbled to have you say those things. We are honored to have been part of forming the hearts of students. Thanks for being open to the movement of God in your life. We're proud of where you've been and excited about where you're heading. Keep your eyes on HIM!
ReplyDeleteCasey