That meant long stretches of silence.
No teaching, no leading, no fixing. Just watching. Listening. Waiting. And in that stillness, God met me. He showed me that my assignment wasn’t to do, it was to see. To observe His work. To let Him work on me.

It was uncomfortable. It was humbling. And it was holy.

When I spoke with some of the Bolivians who were on the boat with me and asked what my next steps should be, their advice echoed the same message: Prepare. Keep preparing your heart. Keep preparing your life. Take every step that moves you toward the mission field—even if you don’t know when you’ll arrive. One year. Ten years. Twenty years. God’s timing is His own.

One piece of wisdom stood out above the rest:
Keep saying yes to the opportunities God places in front of you. Pray. And let your husband continue to be the door—opened or closed—by God Himself.

Which brings me to Liberia.

Liberia had been on the list of upcoming trips for a while. I casually mentioned the options to Jared, Liberia, Tijuana, Bolivia. His response was quick and firm:
“I don’t want you going to Tijuana. I don’t want you going back to Bolivia. And you’ll never go to Africa.”

Now, Jared is a Marine. He’s been to Africa multiple times through that lens, so I understood his hesitation. I didn’t push. I trusted God.

Soon after, the Liberia trip was removed entirely and restructured into a NXTGen trip. I asked if they needed another leader. They didn’t. I took that as my answer.

But I could not shake Liberia.

Then, out of nowhere Kristy, one of the leaders, called me and personally invited me to join the trip, which had now expanded to Liberia and Belgium. I told her yes… with one condition: my husband has to say yes.

Later that same day, I walked into the office needing to drop something off and Jennie, the other leader, stopped me and said, “I’d like to personally invite you on the Liberia trip.”

Two personal invitations. One day.

All day long, I prayed as I ran errands:
“Lord, You know Jared already said no. If this is You, turn his no into a yes.”

That night, Jared was sitting on our bed folding laundry. I casually said, “Hey, I’ve been invited to go to Liberia. What do you think?”

He didn’t say no.
He asked, “When is it?”

I told him the dates.

And then he said the words that shocked me yet again:
“As long as you can find someone to watch Phillip while I’m at work… yes, you can go.”

Once again, God spoke through the mouth of my unbelieving husband. Once again, God proved that no heart is outside His reach.

So here I am—stepping into another short-term mission trip with expectancy, humility, and joy. I’ve learned that my job isn’t to arrive with a plan—it’s to arrive available. Ready to see what God wants me to see, hear what He wants me to hear, and do what He wants me to do. Most of the time, you don’t understand the purpose until you’re already walking in it.

So I’m inviting you into this story.

Will you join me?
Will you support me as I go to Liberia and Belgium—through prayer and financial partnership?

I would be honored to share this beautiful, God-written journey with you