I’m going to Nepal!!

I’m so excited to announce that this July I will be going to Nepal through the Semesters program at Adventures in Missions!

If you know me, you’re probably a bit confused. Originally, I was supposed to be serving in Ecuador this summer with the Ambassador program. Unfortunately that trip was cancelled so because I’m 18 I had the opportunity to switch to Semesters and go to Nepal!

God has been working and preparing me for this trip since He laid Nepal on my heart the summer of 2018. This might be a long story so buckle up. My journey to get here began with a question, “Would you ever consider going on a trip besides to the DR?” At this point in my life, I had been on two mission trips to the Dominican Republic and was preparing for my third. When my mom asked me this question, I felt a stirring – God was calling me to more. But I didn’t know what that looked like yet.

I began praying about it and started looking at trips. One of my closest friends was about to go to Peru on an Ambassador trip with Adventures in Missions so I had known a little about this organization. As I looked at the trips they were offering, I started praying “God if you want me to go, give me a country”. Soon after, I got the opportunity to go on a trip to Honduras, and I felt the Lord was calling me there. But I still knew there was more.

One day I grabbed the globe out of my youngest sister’s room to see where Honduras was. I looked at Honduras and also the Dominican Republic, because, duh, those were the two places I had gone to and would be in. As I was mapping out the distances in my head, I noticed both countries were green on this particular globe. A coincidence, maybe. Then I heard a whisper, Keep looking. Because I had been looking at an Ambassador trip I knew some of the countries they sent teams to, so I began looking at these countries. Only one of them was green: Nepal. When I saw it, I looked up and said “God, is this what you want me to do?” He answered, Taylor, what does green mean? Confused, I sat there for a second as Father pushed forward, At a traffic light, what does green mean? GO. 

Soon after this crazy “God-moment”, I shared the story with my parents and asked if I could go. They were excited for me but explained that I needed to wait until the next summer. I was crushed, how could God have called me in this huge way for me to have to wait. Eventually, I was okay with it and in 2019 I signed up to go to Nepal in July of 2020. I was ecstatic. I fundraised and prayed and prepared myself to finally be in this place I had been called to. Then COVID hit. I felt like Nepal was taken from me for a second time.

In fall of 2020, Ambassador trips for 2021 were announced. No Nepal. But there was Ecuador, a place I also felt called to and felt peace about. So I signed up for Ecuador, got fully-funded, and started connecting with my team. Everything was great. One day I was curious so began looking through other trips Adventures in Missions has and found the Semesters trips for 2021. There was one to Nepal on the same dates as I was planning to go to Ecuador. Wow. I started praying about it but ultimately didn’t know because I did feel called to Ecuador. Then a few days ago, Ecuador got cancelled. The one thing holding me back from Nepal was gone. So I messaged my advisor about transferring, and here I am.

It’s crazy how God was preparing my heart for Ecuador to be canceled, all the while bringing me full circle to where He called me three years ago. I never expected any of this, but it has taught me so much about the goodness and the redemption of the Lord. To end this blog, I want to share with you a part of a song that has been my anthem throughout this entire journey. The song is Trust by Hillsong Young and Free, but the bridge is what has always spoken to me:

“The only thing I know, is God you’re in control. In every little detail, you are close. I’ll never be alone and here in the unknown, the power of Your presence fills my soul.”