In the summer before my sophomore year of high school, I went on a 10 day mission trip to Quito, Ecuador. We lived on a base with a host family at a house called Casa Blanca. This was the place where my heart for missions started. This was the place where I remember experiencing the Holy Spirit for the first time. This was the place I was brought to tears during worship for the first time. This was the place where I felt the Lord speak to me through His word for the first time. This was the place where I prayed for healing and weeped with the people around me for the first time.
This was the place where the Lord started evidently leading me to Him. This was the place that gave me a taste of what life with the Lord looks like. The place that sparked my desire to go on a gap year mission trip after high school.
When I was signing up for the World Race, I was waiting for the routes to come out. I remember saying “whatever route is going to Ecuador is the one I’m going on”. When they came out, there were 3 routes, but none of them were going to Ecuador. So I said to the Lord, “whatever route you want me to go on, make it clear to me”. Activation Route, going to Guatemala, Cambodia, and Eswatini was the one that I felt like the Lord me to go on. I didn’t know why, but I just picked it.
Our route got changed a while ago to Jeffrey’s Bay and Romania instead of Cambodia and Eswatini, but before we knew that, every time there was a possibility of our route changing, I always said that I hope it gets changed to Ecuador. A couple weeks ago, because of everything happening in Ukraine, we were given the choice to Romania or not. The other choice was Ecuador. The squad would be getting split up and sent to 2 different countries.
The couple weeks before this announcement were filled with prayer. Prayer over what’s next. And all I asked Lord for was to prepare me for what’s next. Whatever that is. Whatever that looks like. For Him to prepare me.
My teammate Naomi asked me at ministry the morning of the announcement what the Lords been teaching me. I said that I think He’s preparing me for a season where this community may not be the normal thing. He’s preparing me and growing me in this season where the community around me is 39 people chasing after the heart of the Father, so that my relationship with Him can be the same even when that may not be what community looks like in the future. I thought He was talking about my next season after the Race, but He was really talking about Ecuador.
So after a lot of prayer and conversations with family, I chose to go to Ecuador alongside 12 people and 23 people were going to Romania. It was a week of preparing to say goodbye to some of my best friends and most of my team for 2 months. It was a week of so many tears. But even through all of that, the Lord covered me with so much peace. Because He had been preparing me for exactly what He was walking me through, I couldn’t help but believe that this was His plan all along. And through walking me through this, He taught me even more. When I choose to walk with Him, He prepares me for whatever’s to come, but also walks me through whatever that is when it does come. And teaches me more about Him through it all.
At the end of that week, we were told that because of the progression of the war in Ukraine, none of us would be going to Romania and all of us would be going to Ecuador. As our leaders were announcing this, Anna reminded us of the story of Abraham and Isaac. In this story, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham, out of obedience, said yes to God. He followed everything he needed to do, all the way up to taking out the knife to kill his son. Then an angel comes and says to Abraham that he does not have to sacrifice his son. The Lord just wanted to see Abraham’s obedience.
The Lord called the people that said “yes” to Ecuador out of the comfort of the squad and what they thought was familiar. The Lord called the people that said “yes” to Romania out of physical safety and into a potential war zone. And He just wanted to see our “yes”. He wanted to see our obedience. And because He prepared us for this, all of us said “yes” to the country He was calling us to.
He prepared us to say that “yes” through the 7 months that led up to that decision. He knew all along that this is what our second month in South Africa would look like. He knew all along that Ecuador would be our third country. Every little “yes” in my squad’s everyday lives with the Lord is what prepared us for this big “yes”. And every “yes” to come.
So with all that said, our squads going to Ecuador! I’m going back to the exact place where my heart for missions started. It is such a full circle moment for me, and the Lord is so faithful to see my hearts desire from over a year ago. This was the route that was going to Ecuador all along, and there’s so much that makes me know it was the Lord that led me to this route, but especially now that we’re going to Ecuador. And it is so easy to see that the Lord has been preparing me for this. Preparing me for whatever’s next. Whatever’s next in Ecuador. Whatever’s next in ministry. I trust Him and I know His beautiful plan will be done.
We actually were given another decision to make the other day about what ministry we want to do. There are 5 ministries, 6 teams, and each person can choose where they want to go. 3 teams stay at the main base, and 3 teams get sent to another base. Teams will be split up, and new teams will be starting (more information on my ministry when we’re in Ecuador!). Through the Lord preparing all of us to be split up in different countries and walking us through that already, this decision was already processed in our hearts. He was preparing us all along to be split up in Ecuador.
He was preparing us to choose into unity even when we may be physically apart. He was preparing us to depend on Him more than ever. He was preparing us to walk into a really hard season. He was preparing us to choose into loving deeply.
And He’s preparing us for whatever’s next. For Ecuador. And for the next season. And the next. And the next. When we walk with Him, He walks with us through what He has already been preparing us for.
He truly prepares us for whatever’s next, and I deeply believe that because of this last season.
I felt like the Lord was speaking to me a couple days after finding out our squad was splitting up and wrote this in my journal:
“I never said preparation was going to be easy. I just asked for you to sit with me in it. I will fill you with joy. I will be your rest.”
Love always,
Ava 🙂
wow really proud of u ! you are faithful and honorable ava !!
What a moving change of direcion orchestrated by Him Ava! Enjoy your return to where it all began for you in Ecuador! Love Dad
Ava, I love that our God has so many “full circle” moments in store for each of us one way or another. As His followers, if we pay attention, we see them all the time! This is such a beautiful one for you; thank you for sharing it. Ecuador is going to be a sweet season for the whole squad as you spread out in the various locations and ministries. These “yes” responses to Him are not always easy, but bring much glory to His name!