“Behold I am doing a new thing…”

“So, how are you feeling about the Peace Corps?”

            I am excited for the work but still in the midst of my post-grad crisis on “figuring my life out.” I know I am going to get to Moldova and love the work and my day-to-day life. Nothing about the Peace Corps itself or living abroad makes me nervous. My time in Quebec, Senegal, and France I feel as prepared me well for this experience. As a result, I probably haven’t done as much homework as I should have, but I do know most of the learning simply will come from being there. Packing was a breeze (I am used to living out of a suitcase by now) and the Peace Corps is great about ensuring all the details regarding flights, visas, and lodging are taken care of for us.

            The emotional challenge for me has been figuring out how life functions outside of college and coping with the change that accompanies every season of our life. We don’t and won’t always live near family, see our friends on a regular basis, prioritize the same things, understand how God is using something to shape our lives, and have a firm sense of home. I do not have any idea of what my life will look like in five years and I have no game plan for after the Peace Corps either. I am wondering if it was the right choice to leave those I know and love in Nashville, even though I know the space from Belmont will help make the separation from college life a bit easier. I want to invest in relationships I made near the end of my time at Belmont but am not quite sure how to do so from a distance. What if everyone moves on with life and this experience makes me feel more out of place when I return? I have asked people to pray that when I am in Moldova I fully invest in my time there, not seeing it as a transition job or once-in-a-lifetime experience, but rather as the place God has called me to give myself to for this period of my life. I want to love and serve the people well and trust that God will provide for my future, without fearing that I am “missing out” on something else (a job that pays well, marriage, family, friends, etc.).

“Why did you choose to go into the Peace Corps?”

            The primary reason I chose to work with the Peace Corps was because it is an experience and work I felt God has prepared me to do well through the experiences and knowledge I have gained at Belmont. The gnawing question I had during my last semester was: “how do I live in the world?” This might seem like a very basic question, but it has been at the heart of my conversations with God recently. How was I called to love the homeless person on the street while I attended an expensive, luxurious college? How do I live my life knowing what extreme poverty looks like and how most of the world lives? How do I live a life that honors God without selling all that I own, taking up my cross, and following Him? Or should I? How do I know if God is calling me to help those overseas instead of helping those around me in the USA? I don’t think Moldova will provide me with the answers, but I cannot shake the notion that these questions are some of the most important for me to pursue as I continue to live in the mystery of faith in Jesus Christ. I am praying that my time in Moldova will provide me space to reflect on how God is working in my life and the ways I can participate in His work for the rest of my life.

            As I have been preparing to go, the words of a hymn keep coming to mind, taken from Samuel’s call from the Lord:

Here I am, Lord.

Is it I, Lord?

I have heard you calling in the night.

I will go, Lord,

where you lead me.

I will hold your people in my heart.

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; can you not perceive it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

                                                                                    Isaiah 43:18-19

Trip timeline:

June 3^rd – Fly to Philadelphia for staging

June 4^th – Fly from NJ to Frankfurt

June 5^th – Arrive in Moldova

My thoughts and prayers are with you all.