Hey all! As many of you probably know, I am currently in school working on my RN. I am on track to be done in July 2019! I’m very excited about being able to finish school and continue to LOVE being a nurse and working at Covenant.

However, God has thrown a wrench in my terribly neat plan for my life.

About a month ago, I was scrolling through the leadership team’s Facebook group for BASIC (all are welcome!), making sure I didn’t miss anything. Right as soon as I was about to close the page and take my nap, something jumped out at me.

I saw a post about these college students doing mission trips. Only, it wasn’t for a few days or a few weeks. It was for MONTHS.

I don’t know why it interested me, because I have never considered doing anything radical or outside the social norms. I continued to do some research, and while reading through some details for a shortish/longish-term mission trip, the fear set in. I felt literal FEAR because I knew something radical and crazy and life-changing was happening in my heart, and I knew it was about to happen in my life.

I could hardly sit still the rest of the day. Fear and confusion and unanswered questions filled me. I thought, “It’s probably nothing. Maybe I just got excited at a huge opportunity.” I went to sleep that evening and woke up the next morning. I still had that sense of not knowing and feeling like my life was about to change, but... I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to. Days went by. A week went by. I talked with my family, I talked with my friends, and I talked with God. I prayed and prayed and prayed to God asking Him to give me clarification on what was going to happen and how I should feel about it.

I filled out an interest form for a 9-month trip across the ocean, and I got a call from Experience Mission the very next day. A woman on the other line said, “Kristin? Is this a good time to talk? I was just wondering if we could go ahead and set up the video interview process.”

WHAT?

That night, at BASIC, I was on the prayer team and worshipping in the back of Lang hall while praying with other college students. While singing “Nothing I Hold Onto”, I sang these lines:

I lean not on my own understanding
My life is in the hands of the Maker of heaven//
I give it all to you God
Trusting that you’ll make something beautiful out of me//
And I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open.

I felt peace about where God was taking my life and I knew that it was for His glory and my good. I put all of my faith in Him, knowing that I was safe and protected and loved in His hands, no matter where I was.

Fast forward to December 4th. I accepted a spot on a team going for 9 months to the Holy Land, South Africa, Lesotho, and Namibia, beginning in August 2019.

Here I am, God, with my hands wide open and thirsty for your blessings!

I am so excited to share all of this with my friends and family and my friends’ friends. God is doing something CRAZY in my life and I’m so excited.

Now I’m on a journey to raise a whole lot of money in not a whole lot of time, and I’m praying that God will provide. To secure my spot on this team, I am tasked to raise $1,000 by January 3rd. I am so intimidated by that huge number; having no idea where it’s going to come from. I’m picking up as many shifts as I can, but I am hoping and praying that I will find support in my community, both financial and prayer!

Thank you all so much for taking precious time to read this post, and I pray throughout these next few months that I will able to keep you all updated on this crazy journey!