I've always loved to explore. When I was a child, my mom would worry about me wandering off with strangers in the grocery store or at the post office if she didn't constantly hold my hand. In my mind, everyone was a friend and every place needed to be seen first-hand. As I've grown up, my passion to go and discover has grown into something bigger. And it's more than just a desire to travel or learn a new language or make new friends; it's a calling.

Lately I've been challenged by Romans 12:1-2. I especially love it in the Message version because I feel like it speaks my language.

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it withou