How Did I Get Here? Part 1
I, Valerie Cross, am going to Zambia in 47 days! This is Part 1 of how my life was interrupted (in a good way) by God and how I now find myself preparing to get on a flight to Africa in less than 2 months.
About 3 months ago, I was kind of, half-heartedly looking into trips to Latin America this summer. Nothing too intense, just thought it would be fun, that I haven't travelled since Guatemala 2014 and that I was just going to see what was out there. That's where God immediately stepped in.
He must have seen that little speck of willingness in my heart and decided to take that sliver and make it explode.
In my search process, I had certain criteria. I had narrowed my search down to a few very realistic opportunities in Ecuador and Honduras and looked more into those. At one point, after seeing a lot of opportunities available in Africa through the same organizations, I even looked at my roommate and straight up told her that I would probably never go to Africa. I seriously told her that.
*Cue God's sense of humor*
God decided to use that very day to begin a journey of trust and saying, "Val, enough with the familiar stuff, I have so much more for you and you don't even know it yet." Days went by and in the search for a trip that met my criteria, I kept seeing this organization called Love Africa Mission. With no desire to go to Africa, I kept ignoring it. But it kept showing up. In every single search that I made. Coincidence? I think not.
So, on a Sunday afternoon I decided to check out what this Love Africa Mission thing was all about. None of the criteria fit mine but that's when all the pieces started to fall together.
Reluctantly, I watched a video of theirs about their Kenya trip and for those 5 minutes, I've never been so drawn to something before. My heart knew that for some reason, this is where I needed to be.
Wait, but you're going to Zambia, not Kenya. Yup, hold on, that explanation will come in Part 2.
From that moment on, I couldn't have cared less about finding a trip that met my criteria....in fact, I stopped looking and seeking out information about anything else altogether and only pursued finding out more about Africa. Totally unlike me.
That night, I sent an email to Love Africa Mission simply asking for some more information on their Kenya trip this summer. I got a response the next afternoon with a link to their application and a message that basically said, "Apply when you're ready!"
I wasn't ready, I never would be. I second-guessed and asked all of the "what if" questions possible. But I knew this was different. It was almost like God was whispering "Val, the what-ifs will eat your brain. Just go."
On Tuesday, January 17th I submitted my application to Love Africa Mission, out of simple obedience to God, not knowing where this would take me...
About 3 months ago, I was kind of, half-heartedly looking into trips to Latin America this summer. Nothing too intense, just thought it would be fun, that I haven't travelled since Guatemala 2014 and that I was just going to see what was out there. That's where God immediately stepped in.
He must have seen that little speck of willingness in my heart and decided to take that sliver and make it explode.
In my search process, I had certain criteria. I had narrowed my search down to a few very realistic opportunities in Ecuador and Honduras and looked more into those. At one point, after seeing a lot of opportunities available in Africa through the same organizations, I even looked at my roommate and straight up told her that I would probably never go to Africa. I seriously told her that.
*Cue God's sense of humor*
God decided to use that very day to begin a journey of trust and saying, "Val, enough with the familiar stuff, I have so much more for you and you don't even know it yet." Days went by and in the search for a trip that met my criteria, I kept seeing this organization called Love Africa Mission. With no desire to go to Africa, I kept ignoring it. But it kept showing up. In every single search that I made. Coincidence? I think not.
So, on a Sunday afternoon I decided to check out what this Love Africa Mission thing was all about. None of the criteria fit mine but that's when all the pieces started to fall together.
Reluctantly, I watched a video of theirs about their Kenya trip and for those 5 minutes, I've never been so drawn to something before. My heart knew that for some reason, this is where I needed to be.
Wait, but you're going to Zambia, not Kenya. Yup, hold on, that explanation will come in Part 2.
From that moment on, I couldn't have cared less about finding a trip that met my criteria....in fact, I stopped looking and seeking out information about anything else altogether and only pursued finding out more about Africa. Totally unlike me.
That night, I sent an email to Love Africa Mission simply asking for some more information on their Kenya trip this summer. I got a response the next afternoon with a link to their application and a message that basically said, "Apply when you're ready!"
I wasn't ready, I never would be. I second-guessed and asked all of the "what if" questions possible. But I knew this was different. It was almost like God was whispering "Val, the what-ifs will eat your brain. Just go."
On Tuesday, January 17th I submitted my application to Love Africa Mission, out of simple obedience to God, not knowing where this would take me...
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