I, Callie have no clue what my life will look like. I have no idea where I will be in 5 years. Where I will be in a year. I am learning new things about myself daily. I am learning new things about what I am supposed to become, who I am supposed to become and what it will all look like. I never know what the next day will hold. I have always been a free spirit, but I never knew what that would look like. And right now it looks like a 22 year old who is in school to be a teacher. Why? Because I love kids. I am not sure what the teacher job will look like. My dreams are much bigger than anything I can draw or every write down. I want to teach, I want to travel, I want to learn everyday, I want explore, I want to start a non-profit, I want adopt children, I want to see the world. There are so many things I want to see-- to feel, to embrace. I want to be so reliable on Jesus that I don't know what else to do but turn to him. I do not have a dream job, I never have. I want to be a lot of things. But, since high school I want a different kind of life, a life outside of the ordinary. I want to make a difference. I thought this would mean traveling with an organization called Invisible Children and being a roadie. This job would entail me traveling around place to place with a group of people my age and telling everyone we see about the children in Uganda. I would be a roadie on tour. I would be around people who are passionate and I would be telling about Ugandan children-- it was a dream. I wanted it so bad, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't old enough or strong enough. I was too nervous, so I went I went to massage therapist school and finished it. I worked in it for a year then it was time for something different. This meant none other than the trip to Africa, it changed everything.
I became more of a free spirit - wanting new things, wanting to learn more about myself and my creator. It was an exciting thing -- but a scary thing. Years have passed since that first trip. Multiple endeavors: more trips to Uganda, leading life groups, doing outreach, being a student, being a writing tutor, being a massage therapist, a photographer, a preschool teacher, working at a daycare. So many things. Unsure of what I was doing, I stayed a student. I said I was going to be a teacher. I still want to be a teacher. I am still in school. I am still working on campus, but what happens when the opportunity of a lifetime pops up? Remember how I said earlier that I wanted to travel and tell people about Uganda? What happens when you get offered the opportunity to travel with Ugandan children who sing and tell all about Uganda? Do you take it or do you not?
I was offered this opportunity and
I became more of a free spirit - wanting new things, wanting to learn more about myself and my creator. It was an exciting thing -- but a scary thing. Years have passed since that first trip. Multiple endeavors: more trips to Uganda, leading life groups, doing outreach, being a student, being a writing tutor, being a massage therapist, a photographer, a preschool teacher, working at a daycare. So many things. Unsure of what I was doing, I stayed a student. I said I was going to be a teacher. I still want to be a teacher. I am still in school. I am still working on campus, but what happens when the opportunity of a lifetime pops up? Remember how I said earlier that I wanted to travel and tell people about Uganda? What happens when you get offered the opportunity to travel with Ugandan children who sing and tell all about Uganda? Do you take it or do you not?
I was offered this opportunity and
Im taking it.
Sure, I am in 100 things right now, I have school, I have a tutoring position, I have a million things going on at the church. I have a bunch and it can get overwhelming, but I have to weigh things out. I have to remember that I am 22, that I am single and that I do not have children. I have to remind myself that I am only here for a short amount of time and this opportunity came out of nowhere. It landed in my lap in a season that I needed a change. It showed itself only by Jesus.
My journey will start Friday when I meet the team in Tallahassee. The tour will continue until the end of June. There will be stops in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio & more. I will be an auntie to 18 children, I will be helping with the sponsorship program, I will be helping set up and tear down after each show, I will be whatever they need me to be. I will be wearing many hats.
Of course as any new adventure starts-- I am nervous -- about leaving my family and my comfort for 4 months. I cant look at my cat without crying, but this is an opportunity I can't miss. An opportunity that will shape who I am in the future. It will be an adventure and that's what I want my life to be. Sure, it will be a challenge, but it will be time to get closer to the one who created me. To watch the children and their faith. They are away from their parents and in another country. I can only imagine how much I will learn from them.
To answer a couple of things:
Yes, I am still leading the missions trip to Uganda in July.
Yes, my parents stand behind me fully.
No, I am not sure what I will be doing when I get back from everything.
Most of you reading this will have questions, but I pray that you see this the way I do. I pray that you don't think negatively about my decision making-- and I pray that you take the opportunities that are thrown your way, they may not come back around.
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