I always had
this cookie cutter shaped idea of what my life would look like. I would
graduate high school; go away to college and graduate four years later with a
nursing degree. I would of course be engaged to the handsome guy that I met in
college who was most likely going to med school, because what is more perfect
than a doctor marrying a nurse? We would live in beautiful house and have
beautiful children and life would just be beautiful.
I could not
have been more wrong.
I graduated
high school. I went away to college, and I hated it. By the end of Christmas
break after my first semester I had already packed up my belongings, moved back
home, and enrolled in community college. I began desperately attempting to fix
my plan, put it back together and get back on track. I was convinced I could
still live out this cookie cutter life I had in mind, without realizing what I
was doing. I was in the middle of my second semester at the community college I
always swore I would never attend, studying out of over priced textbooks and
applying to every nursing program that would accept transfer students when suddenly
my life took off in the opposite direction of my original cookie cutter plan.
Before I knew what I was getting myself into I had a flight booked to Honduras
for the following semester and I began to give God the reins in my life with
little idea of what was about to happen to my heart.
That was
almost a year ago, and looking back on this past year I can’t believe it has
only been a year. I feel like I’ve aged 5 years in the past 11 months and my
life has been flipped upside down and turned inside out more times than I can
count. The Lord has shown me, sometimes subtly, and sometimes not so subtly,
that I can do nothing without His help. That His plan is better than mine, and
that if I lay down my pride and submit to His will, no matter the cost, He will
provide. Most recently I’ve felt God leading me to move to Alabama, and so last
Wednesday I boarded a flight, this time to Atlanta, GA to begin my most recent
journey.
Let’s start
with day 1. Wednesday, September 4th. I boarded my first flight from
Hartford to Charlotte and was greeted by a mother with her six-month-old baby.
I’m aware that most people grimace at the idea of babies being aboard a plane,
but I was thrilled. As soon as this babies’ mother said hello to me I could
hear a Hispanic accent in her speech. And within 5 minutes, she was speaking
Spanish to her baby. We began talking about Mexico, where she was from, and
Honduras. We talked the whole flight and I don’t think she had an idea how
soothing it was to my soul to hear someone speaking Spanish. Weird, I know.
Bear with me. So then I board flight # 2, from Charlotte to Atlanta. This time
two guys around my age who were no doubt European greet me. As I sat down I
listened to figure out what language they were speaking, and I was almost
positive it was Danish. I spent the whole flight listening them converse in
Danish and was thrilled whenever I recognized a word… for those of you who
don’t know, I had a couple of friends who were from Denmark while I was in
Honduras and learning about their culture/ a couple of words from their
language was always a highlight in my day. As we were about to land I asked
them where they were from and sure enough they were from Denmark. I know to
some of you all of this sounds random, but to me it was little pieces of
comfort from my time in Honduras. And to have both languages I grew to love in
the same trip was nothing short of a blessing to me that day. Another HUGE
blessing that day… I was able to spend a couple of hours with my sweet, sweet
friends Brittany and Rachel whom I met in Honduras. I can’t express how good it
was for my heart to see them and spend time with them for the first time in
months.
Days 2,3,4
and 5 were spent with friends that I had met at Emmanuel. On Saturday I went to
my first college football game, which was quite the experience. On Sunday I
visited a church that has a college aged service with about 300 students.
Incredible.
Day 6, Monday
September 9th. This was the date I had been waiting for after
registering for a nursing information session and TEAS Exam slot a couple of
months ago, two requirements to applying to the nursing program at Southern
Union, the college I applied to for this upcoming spring. Sunday I was blessed
with a friend of Andi’s giving me a practice exam book, and so I spent Sunday
night studying, which thankfully paid off. With God’s help I scored 10 points
higher than the average score for that exam, and so I felt good about that.
While I was in the exam Joshua 1:9 kept coming to mind: “Be strong and
courageous, do not be terrified or discouraged for the Lord is with you
wherever you go.” I wrote this verse on the top of my scrap piece of paper
before the exam started. Once the exam was over, I walked out to Andi’s car and
she handed me a coffee mug she had picked up for me at a store she was at while
waiting for me to finish. On this mug was written Joshua 1:9 in Spanish. Later
that night I read out of the chronological Bible I’ve been reading in and that
day was a passage in Deuteronomy. Chapter 31, verse 6. Look it up. God is good.
Day 7,
Tuesday September 10th. I had an interview with someone from HR at
East Alabama Medical Center. When they called me on Monday they said that there
were no available positions but that they wanted to interview me while I was in
town since it would only be for this week. Showed up to the interview the next
morning and the woman interviewing me said there were 5 open Med Care Tech positions
that were placed on her desk that morning. She needed to post them internally
so that staff had the first chance to interview but after that I could
potentially be called in for another interview. Before this trip I had said
that I needed to have a job secured or I wouldn’t move down there. I walked out
to the car and told Andi that I felt like I needed to let that go, that even if
I didn’t have a job I needed to come down on faith that God would provide a
job. So that was that afternoon. That night I also received an email from
Passion, the conference I have been wanting to go to in Atlanta this coming
January. It was an email thanking me for registering, and in this email was my
ticket. I did not register for a ticket to Passion. I am so blessed.
Day 8,
Wednesday September 11th. I woke up to an email from a guy I had met
in Honduras, Milt. He forwarded me an email about a part-time receptionist job
at a ministry called Youth For Christ. I decided to call them about it and at
least see what it was about. When I called Kevin, the guy who runs this
ministry, he said he didn’t know who Milt was but that he would be happy to
interview with me. When he asked me where I was staying I told him the name of
the family who has welcomed me into their home and he told me that yes he knew
that family and that Eric used to be on the board for Youth For Christ. We set
up an interview time for that afternoon. I walked into that interview with the
idea of potentially working in the mornings, part time, as a receptionist. I
walked out of that interview with an offer for a full time job (pending the
board meetings final decision next week) as administrative assistant for YFC.
Kevin had been looking for someone to take up this position and someone had
just fallen through the day before. He claimed I was an answer to prayer, I say
this job offer was an answer to prayer. I could not be more excited to work for
this ministry and see what God does with that. I have yet to receive a phone
call from EAMC. The reason I had so actively pursued a job there was because
they offer a scholarship to Southern Union for the nursing program, and
employees are more apt to get it. I also found out on Wednesday that I am not
eligible for that scholarship because I have taken half of the classes for that
nursing program at a different college. God’s plans are so much better than
mine. That night I went to a college ministry at the church I went to on
Sunday. As I listened to the speaker I was challenged: if all of these
blessings were taken away from me tomorrow, is Jesus enough? Do I need all of
these things and moments and opportunities to continue following Him? I would
like to say that, yes; even if everything that I’ve been given this week were
taken away from me I would continue to follow where I feel God is leading me
(Alabama)…I only hope that would be true. For now I am thankful and blessed for
what I have been provided with, and pray that God is glorified through this
whole journey. That others will see that none of these opportunities I have
been given are of myself. Because I can accomplish nothing on my own, and for
every second of success or opportunity I have been provided with, God receives the
glory for that. Not me.
Day 9,
Thursday September 12th was spent meeting lots of new people. A
friend I met in Honduras introduced me to a girl from Auburn that he thought I
would get along well with. We met for coffee that morning, and it was so
encouraging to talk with her. To have a conversation with someone my age that
has the same passions in their heart as I do was such a blessing. I also met a
lot of people from the board at Youth For Christ that day since they will be
voting me in (or not) this Monday at their meeting. The chairman of the board
ended our meeting with “can’t wait to work with you.” So encouraging. My heart
is full.
Day 10,
Friday September 13th. I had received a text from Kevin from YFC on
Thursday asking me to go to Opelika High School this morning and sit in on a
meeting for a club that is just beginning. I had no idea what to expect. I
walked into the choir room at the high school and the leader of the group said
to me “you must be Kalli. Our topic today is orphans and Kevin told me you were
at Orphanage Emmanuel, I was hoping you would share about your time there.”
Talk about on the spot. That seems to be a theme in the past few months. Friday
night I was able to see another sweet friend I had met at Emmanuel as she is in
town this weekend. It was so encouraging to chat and catch up on our lives
since we’d last seen each other.
Today I sit
in an airport waiting to board a plane to North Carolina, where I will be able
to see Allison, my best friend growing up who I have not seen in 2 years. My
mom, her mom, and her fiancé have blessed me with another plane ticket home on
Wednesday so that I can stay and visit with her for a few days.
My cup is
overflowing. My heart feels like it could burst. I am so blessed, and so
thankful. God provided everything I needed and more this week, down to the very
last detail. I have told Youth For Christ that provided I am voted in Monday I
will be able to start working October 7th. And so after Wednesday I
will head home to MA for 2 more weeks to pack and visit with friends and family
before I make my way down to sweet home Alabama. Please be praying for continued provision and peace in this decision!
“I don’t always know where this life is
going. I can’t see the end of the road, but here is the great part: courage is
not about knowing the path. It is about taking the first step. It is about
Peter getting out of the boat, stepping out onto the water with complete faith
that Jesus will not let him drown.” -Katie Davis, Kisses For Katie
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