As of now...

My senior year of high school I decided to read the book of Isaiah every night instead of buying a cheesy teenage girl daily devotional. Not that teen devotional books are bad, I could just never get into them. I found myself in the middle of reading about war. I remember journaling things like, “Who the heck is fighting who and why?” and “God, you are harsh and I don’t think I like it.” Isaiah is filled with 66 chapters of vengeance and justice. Needless to say, my uncertainty and curiosity about this book went on for awhile. Then I came to Isaiah 49:6:

It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

Then it clicked. My life is this light. It’s not enough for me to love going to my church –I’m called to something bigger! God wanted my life and more for my soul. This excited me beyond belief. I decided to decoratively write this verse on my feet because I knew they were going to literally take me and walk the redemptive love of Christ to the ends of the earth. Plus, it looked cool and, like everyone else, I went through a phase where I desperately wanted a tattoo. I took this verse to heart, but I had no idea what I was saying yes to. The excitement of this revelation of God’s will for my life calmed down a little as time went on. Not because I felt Him less, but because “ends of the earth” is a very general location and I’m pretty sure that I qualify as a Gentile.

Fast forward two years and I’m headed to Bulgaria! I only know of this place because of a geography test I had to take in ninth grade, but I’m going to live there for three whole months. I am beside myself with excitement that I was chosen to be a part of Immerse with such wonderful people. What an opportunity this is to learn and grow and be stretched in unimaginable ways.

To be honest with you, I have absolutely no idea what I’ve gotten myself into. I have an obnoxious habit of pulling my planner out at least four times a day –it helps me feel like I have control over things. All I really know about my summer is the people I’m going to be working with and the country we are going to be in. Like I said, I’m being stretched J

What I do know is that right now, I am called to something BIG by a being even BIGGER than what is comprehendible. “[T]he ends of the earth.” is Bulgaria. The Gentiles are a beautiful group of people stuck in a post-communist way of thought. My life has been made light and I want to use it to restore the creation that God cares about most: His people. This is what it’s like to be three months away from taking His salvation to the ends of the earth.

-Katelyn