Last week I wrote on being content about not having a detailed plan for your life, but learning to say “yes” to the Lord day by day, season by season. There is joy found in being obedient to Him daily. There is also freedom in surrendering your desires, your hopes, and your wildest dreams. I want to be clear by stating there is nothing wrong with planning.

In fact, I LOVE planning! I believe that planning actually guides our dreams. But with the planning and the dreaming, there must also be surrender. Be open with the Lord about your heart’s desires. Approach His throne with boldness as it says in Hebrews 4. It’s what I have put into practice, this daily surrender, and this is where the Lord is taking me as I’ve given Him some pretty crazy dreams of mine…

I distinctly remember sitting in a Vacation Bible School church service listening to a missionary from Mexico talk about surrendering your life to Christ. I had no idea what that actually meant, but when he asked us to stand up if we wanted to surrender our whole lives to following Jesus, I thought it sounded pretty cool so I did it.

After he talked about all the traveling he did throughout Central and South America, I thought I wanted to do that one day. I started reading books on missionaries like Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot and David Livingston. Pioneer missionaries who truly risked their lives in surrender to the Lord for the sake of the Gospel. Before I was even in middle school, I knew God was calling me to go overseas someday. It was a thought that wouldn’t go away.

But first, God had to teach me A LOT about surrender. He broke me and bent me all throughout middle-school, high-school and into college. He’s actually still breaking me and molding me (another blog post for another time).

Fast forward to my Senior year of high-school. Undoubtedly, the toughest year of high-school for me (ironic since it’s the lap of victory right?). I was stressed about choosing the “right college”. I knew I wanted to go somewhere that would give me plenty of opportunities to travel overseas and give me teaching experience.

My wildest dream at the time was to teach and help open a school in an area of the world that did not have easy access to education.

That dream has only been fueled by the opportunities and experiences I have had at Liberty. The Lord has allowed professors, pastors, and the best of friends to pour into me, speak truth, and encourage me to pursue the very things I am passionate about.

If I could describe the one thing that the Lord has taught me the most in the past two years, it would be the freedom I have found in giving Him control.

I thought it was necessary to make that clear before I move on.

SO, I told God I had this crazy dream to student teach overseas for my last semester before I graduate with my Bachelor’s of Science in Special Education: Integrated Studies.

There were details upon details that had to be worked out for this to happen. There were doors slammed shut. My parents were not completely on board at first.

But I was not worried. I had surrendered. I found freedom in giving Him control of my greatest, craziest dreams. If He did not want me to go overseas, He would not have allowed it to all work out.

But, when we surrender, we see His Sovereign way open when there seems to be no way. I would be lying if I said there were not multiple times this past year that I was uncertain, that I doubted. Maybe God didn’t actually want me to teach overseas. Maybe that would happen later in the future (and I pray it does). But the time is now. And I have said yes.

What does my “yes” look like?

It looks like living in Accra, Ghana for eight weeks and student teaching in a 4^th grade class with 9 little munchkins I can’t wait to meet!! I'll be serving at the American International School through an organization called NICS (Network of International Christian Schools).

This is kingdom building!

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:24

Catch me L I V I N G my wildest, crazy dream in January!!!

(*disclaimer: I’ll finish student teaching in Lynchburg March- May, location TBD. So don’t worry LU friends, you’ll see me!)

I’ll graduate in May, and we’ll see where the Lord takes me after that. I have plenty more crazy dreams to surrender.