August 27th, 2022
Dear reader,
I want to tell you a story of how I’ve seen God’s glory through something unexpected. Let’s travel back in time to June 5th…
I had arrived home 10 days earlier, attended my little brother’s wedding, and I’m finally enjoying chill time with friends and family after 5 months of leading trips back and forth between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I get a call from a friend who is working at AIM as a squad mentor. She asks me if I’ll join her squad as an additional leader to focus on discipleship. With clear confirmation from the Lord, I say yes and hop on a plane 2 days later to head back to Costa Rica for another month.
In my last blog post (you can read it here), I mentioned a trade that occurs when we choose to live for God’s glory. We give up something of ourselves to make room for more of Him. What was the trade this time, you ask?
Yes to God for that trip meant saying no to my plans, desires, and comforts. No to volleyball nights, watching my nieces and nephews grow up, family dinners, birthdays, friends’ wedding preparations, driving my car, a washer and dryer…all the little things you don’t miss until you don’t have them.
Instead of a refreshing break from the international mission field, I experienced a month that was tough mentally, physically, and spiritually. It felt like our squad kept hitting walls and running into every obstacle possible – canceled flights, super random injuries, COVID, family sickness/death back home, and an overall lack of consistency which led to frustration and miscommunication. We slept on the floor with incessant bugs, had next to zero alone time, worked hard in the heat, and ate beans and rice 95% of the meals.
I say that not to complain (I actually love beans and rice, and the giant bugs fascinate me!), but to simply give the full picture. Living for His glory is tough. It costs a lot. However, what I gained in return was absolutely worth it. Saying yes to God also meant saying yes to incredible and unexpected gifts.
In addition to the sweet opportunity of continuing existing friendships with the locals in Costa Rica (we were serving with the same host from the beginning of this year), I received the gift of walking alongside 23 young adults who were committed to living for God’s glory. The Racers asked hard questions and pursued the truth for themselves. I saw them face challenges head-on and overcome them in a way that inspired me in my own faith walk.
We did a lot of the typical “missionary things” for the community, but what I value most from those tasks are the gifts of friendships built during the work. I treasure the long walk and late-night conversations about how God is writing our stories. We challenged and encouraged each other, sought the Lord’s guidance, and grew together. We lived out being the Church.
These gifts are what make life with God beautifully fulfilling. They are the good, hard things that are promised when we live for His glory. Promised, yet simultaneously unexpected because you never really know how that gift is going to play out. A yes in faith may lead you in some surprising directions…
For me, that has been into discipleship. God has been teaching me that, at its core, discipleship is simply living life together and pushing each other to look more like Him. It’s messy because it requires getting down in the mud with people. It hurts when their brokenness triggers your own wounds. It’s challenging to live vulnerably, yet also with the discernment necessary to set healthy boundaries. Despite the struggles, there is a unique beauty in learning to love with His love and seeing how He brings the healing and change – not just to the one you are discipling, but also to yourself.
I’ve fallen in love with this lifestyle of discipleship. At least for this season in my life, it’s how He is calling me to live for His glory.
So, as you have probably already guessed, I’m heading back out to lead another trip!
While I was still in Costa Rica, I was asked to lead a 3-month trip this fall back to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I literally laughed when I read the email because God has such a sense of humor. This whole year will have been spent bouncing back and forth between Costa Rica and Nicaragua with short breaks in the US. It wasn’t what I planned or expected, but He’s given me a deep love for the people in these countries.
I’m currently in Georgia where I spent the last two weeks in leader training, which God has used to reignite my passion for missions in some tender ways. My co-leader, McKayla, and I just welcomed our squad of 15 young adults this afternoon. We will continue training with them here at AIM’s headquarters until we head to Nicaragua on September 12th. While I’m honestly still a little worn out from this summer (check back here for the next blog on my time in Nicaragua in July…it had some wiiillllddd moments), I’m really looking forward to what God is going to do in and through this new squad. I have full faith that He will continue to work in unexpected ways His glory and our good.
ALLSSOOOOOO, I need to raise $3,000. Thankfully, all 3 of my summer trips were provided for financially, but now I’m back to fundraising for this one. Wooooooh! 🙂 Haha it actually is pretty cool to see how God provides in such unique ways every time a new fundraising goal comes up. Will you prayerfully consider making a single donation or committing to support me monthly?
To each person who reads my blogs, prays, and encourages me so faithfully throughout all my wild, seemingly never-ending journeys, thank you. Truly, thank you! You may never know the impact you have, but I can promise you it’s there. If nothing more, it’s changed my life forever!
Love, Victoria 🙂
