Hello, everyone! I started a blog, but I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find the right introduction. I guess a good place to begin is to talk about what inspired me to start this blog in the first place. Late last summer (2019), I started to think that I might be called to mission work, and since that time, I have been praying about it and researching different organizations to serve with. I wanted to write the blog to keep friends and family updated on my journey and to record my thoughts for my future self.
One thing that I want to make clear, there was never a clouds-parting, voice-of-God-booming moment of clarity. In my life, it is never that simple. In fact, most of the time I only see God's guidance in my life in retrospect. I think the seeds of mission work were planted years ago, but this past summer was when the seeds finally sprouted.
Let's start at the beginning. The first time I thought about the possibility of mission work, I was in high school. Our Spanish teacher arranged for us to have a Skype conversation with one of her former students who was in the Peace Corps. I thought it was intriguing and could be something I was willing to do, but it felt more like a plan in case college didn't work out.
I next thought about mission work as a sophomore in college. That year, I knew I wanted to go on a mission trip during Spring Break, so I signed up to go to Nicaragua. While I was there, I got to visit orphans, minister to the housebound, and provide for children
who survived off of the dump. I have never felt as peaceful as I did while there.
When I came back, I spent some time praying about my vocation. One possibility that I prayed about was mission work, but I really didn't feel pulled in that direction. To be honest, I didn't really feel pulled in any direction.
The next time I thought about mission work was as a senior in college when I talked to my Dad about my plans for post-graduation. I listed mission work as a possibility after I had paid off loans, but once again, I didn't feel called to act.
I didn't think about mission work again until I went on a 3 day silent Ignatian retreat this summer. When I went, I didn't have any pressing things that I wanted to talk to God about in prayer, and as I mentioned, I hadn't really thought about mission work for about 3 years, so I was surprised when the idea popped up and didn't go away. I never had a particular "aha" moment or a strong sense that God spoke to me. Rather, I just kept coming back to thinking about mission work even when I would try to pray about other things. The greatest confirmation for me was that I was excited by the thought of doing mission work, and when I continued to talk about it with people, the excitement stayed. I also felt moved to act on it, which had never happen before.
I think that pretty much catches everyone up to speed. I have continued to pray and think about mission work in the following months, and I still feel compelled to act. I have started the application process for the Salesian Lay Missioners and will attend a discernment weekend in May. I will update my blog as there are new developments.