“Why am I going?” “Why am I staying?” These two questions seem incredibly polar and yet, I believe that my response would be the same when answering either of them.
I have to do something good for other people. As a Portsmouth Christian Academy graduate, it is only right to acknowledge that PCA’s vision statement is to “Develop Christ-centered graduates who impact the world for good.” This vision aligns with my own. But what does it mean to do good for other people? When I close my eyes and think about my future, I imagine people’s faces. I see young and old faces. They smile, they cry, and they laugh. I have learned over the past few years that these images are a result of my inward most passion for creating and developing relationships.
Over the past 3 years especially, I have had the immense blessing of becoming a trusted friend and confidant. I have prayed with and over others when they were struggling. I have both given and received long and comforting embraces when someone’s hurting heart simply needed peace. I have also had the humbling experience of sharing my testimony: first with my family, then with my youth group and subsequently, to my school body. Do you know my testimony? I like to call my testimony a story as I really enjoy stories.
My story is fairly simple, yet I believe it can be very powerful. I grew up in a Christian household and at a young age accepted the Holy Spirit into my heart. Yet, I did not fully know Christ’s love and forgiveness until age 12. At age 12, I went through a season of temptation, succumbing to online traps. However, Christ is faithful and just to forgive my sins. Through recognizing my fallibility, I also recognized Christ’s true heart for me. It took time to heal and grow into a healthy relationship with my Saviour, yet I now know that He loves me with all His heart. This description is very brief, so if you would like to hear a more in-depth story about my journey with Christ, feel free to reach out to me personally! I am an open book! (That was quite intended.)
You can contact me through email at [email protected].
Ultimately, I want to experience both the blessings and difficulties of life alongside others. However, many people have lives that seem alien to our own. Whether they are in parts of Africa where the concept of cannibalism is present or if they are in our neighborhood stuck in an endless cycle of rejection and addiction, these people seem to live in totally different worlds than our own. I don’t want to be their alien. Rather, I want to know what their world is like so that I can humbly share my love of Jesus with them. Romans 12:15 calls us to a similar task saying, “Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” In this way, our worlds interlock and deep connections can form.
I chose to go on a 9-month trip because I want sufficient time to truly connect with and experience the day-to-day lives of the various peoples I meet. I want to get to know them well enough that it will hurt to leave them. It even pains my heart knowing I will take this trip while leaving behind the people I already love and cherish. So, why would I put myself through the challenge of forming new relationships just to experience the heart-wrenching pain of leaving them behind?
Well…It’s what Jesus did. Jesus met with people, ate in innumerable people’s houses, and experienced the lives of others. But He kept moving. He had to say goodbye to many people in order to keep spreading His Good News. Like Him, I want to pour my energy and time into loving everyone I meet and interact with. But I must keep moving forward in continuing the spread of the Gospel. As Matthew 10:37 acknowledges, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Still, like Jesus, I only say goodbye temporarily.
I recognize that, as William P. Young put it, “Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.”
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