A change from my plans

Even just a few weeks ago I could not imagine that I would soon be on my way to Hong Kong. My interest in missions started in high school, and developed into a full-fledged passion during my college career, but I always figured I would move over seas after working for a few years. As always, God reminded me that He is in charge, and He opened up the opportunity to use my skills to serve Him in Asia.
I was born and raised in Kearney, Neb. In 2005 I graduated from Kearney High and that August I headed to Seward, Neb. to begin college at Concordia University. Initially I thought that I would attend Concordia for a year, get a grasp on college and transfer to a larger school. I did not bring my initial plans for college to fruition, as I am graduating from Concordia this May.
Concordia has been a wonderful experience for me. I have made some absolutely amazing friends and been challenged both personally and academically. During difficult situations God was able to show me the strength of my support network in Seward. I have never been a fan of being overly comfortable, so I decided that for my last semester of college I would remove myself from my comfort zone and take part in the Concordia University System visiting student program and attend Concordia University Chicago for the semester.
Although I has been difficult to leave all of my friend behind in Seward, I appreciated the challenge of moving to a place where I do not know anyone and develop relationships with new people.
Through my experiences in Chicago God has reminded me of the importance of trust and a positive attitude. My transition to Chicago did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, and my fairly consistent less-than-positive attitude did not improve anything Midway through the semester I decided to embrace this experience and I have found myself enjoying my time in Chicago.
As I prepare for my next step in my journey, I am excited to be able to use my skills and talents to serve God. I cannot think of a more perfect way to combine all three of my majors into one position. As a communication specialist I will be able to use my business knowledge as I cover projects including microfinancing and economic development. My journalism and public relations skills will be useful as I figure out the most effective way to show how God is working through the mission projects in Asia. Finally, I will be able to use my interpersonal and intercultural communication knowledge to develop and sustain relationships with God’s children in Asia and America.
God had continually shown me that I need to trust Him in all decisions and this is especially important as I step out in faith to serve as the communication specialist in Asia with LCMS World Mission. If left to my own devices I would not be successful, so luckily God will never leave and He will guide me as I begin to serve Him in the Asia mission field.