After a significant amount of contemplation, I've decided to blog about my {& Amanda's!} adventures & experiences
in Houston this summer, sooo I thought I’d start off with my story to fill some of you in on what exactly I’m doing & why I’m doing it:
It all started with a short term mission trip that left a
long term impact. I went to Houston, TX, for a week last June, & I realized
rather quickly that I was definitely NOT in southern Virginia anymore! Despite
the absence of mountains & open fields & authentic sweet tea, I was
completely captivated by the diversity of the city & its people. Houston is
home to about 70,000 refugees {people who have been forced to leave their
country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster} from 78
different countries, & it’s truly an experience like no other. Honestly, I
had to remind myself several times that I was actually still in the United
States.
While in Houston, my group & I met some amazing people
& built some special friendships. The way these loved us instantly &
welcomed us into their city & even their homes touched my heart in such a
huge way, & by the end of the week I knew I had to go back one day.
I learned from talking to some of overseers of the short
term trips that I could apply for a summer internship & spend an entire
summer in Houston doing what they did. Little did I know, my friend Amanda’s
heart was being pulled in the same direction as mine, & after tons of
prayer & talks, we both took a huge step & applied.
SO, Amanda & I are BOTH heading to Houston on May 31st!
We are so excited {& blessed} to be part of such an amazing team as we
minister to the refugees of the city together. Many of these refugees come from
areas where access to the Gospel is limited or completely nonexistent, so our
goal is to build friendships with them, have some intentional/meaningful
conversations, & just invest lots of time & love. One of the many
different things our team will be doing is leading different short term mission
teams & training them to connect & share Jesus’ love with the people
they’ll reach out to during their week in Houston.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine an adventure like
this would be a reality for me. Sometimes LOTS of times I have to remind myself that YES,
this IS real. I’m incredibly excited to experience all the things that are in
store for me & my team, & I can’t wait to tell you all about it! To my
TOBC family, thank you all for your prayers, support, & encouragement in
this. I’m overwhelmed by your love & will definitely miss you all something
fierce. Amanda & I are beyond blessed to have such a fabulous support
system. Xoxo
So, there’s my story. And it’s only the beginning. Stay
tuned for more adventures & whatnot. :)
