Answering the call...

I think God has been calling me for some time now... I just finally picked up the phone! Or at least that how it feels. I knew at a young age that God was calling me to be a missionary, even before I knew Him or what a missionary was. So cool to think about!

Let me go back to the beginning...

I went on my first mission trip when I was 14 years old. I went with my youth group to Mazatlan, Mexico for one week. That week changed my life in a deep way. That was my first experience with utter poverty and another culture. I sat in the dirt with the little girls outside their homes (inside the city dump) coloring pictures. I shared the love of Jesus with young people even though we spoke different languages. I slept in a church that had bars on the windows and smelt like trash and exhaust fumes. At 14 years old I fell in love with missions and promised myself that I would do this for the rest of my life.

I went on 3 more mission trips while in high school and with each trip the burden on my heart grew. I wanted to become a missionary when I graduated high school but that did not happen. I tried very hard to do the college thing and join the work force, you know to get a real job. I tried but it didn't work out! My heart was so dead from doing the "real" and "normal " things.

While sitting before the Lord for 5 months at a house of prayer I knew that some how, some way I needed to get out on the "mission field". In 2008 I began praying and asking the Lord to send me. The desire of my heart was then and has always been to go to Africa. So I prayed and prayed but no fruit came to be.

Now fast forward to 2010... I had finally had enough! I had become increasingly unsatisfied with my life and knew God has so much more for me. In July I began praying again about becoming a missionary. I really believe the Lord, in His faithfulness, prompted me to remember my dreams and ask Him for them once again. In my weakness and desire to do His will I prayed this prayer, "Jesus I will go! Wherever, whenever! If you say GO, I will go!" I began researching opportunities to go to Africa. Then I started looking into Haiti. Even though I was praying and seeking the Lord's will I had no success or peace. It all felt forced. That's when God called me... but not to Africa.

God called me to go, to go to Italy! My initial answer was no. Yep, I said no to God. Then He reminded me of my weak prayer, "Jesus I will go! Wherever, whenever! If you say go, I will go!". I think I might have even added "to the ends of the earth". Well apparently I didn't think Italy was "to the ends of the earth" but God's heart is breaking over Italy just as much as it is over Africa. After He humbled me and I sought His will it was very clear that I was to GO to Italy. And who would have known... I had so much peace about it!

The application process to join Avant Ministries (a missions organization) took 2 months. Then I went through a two-week training program. And at the end of 3 months I am now a commissioned Missionary. I will be moving to Rome, Italy in June of 2012!

~Nicole