Hi my name is Aunica, and I'm 22 right now. For some of you that may seem old, for others you see that I have a long journey ahead of me, but either way I've lived over 2 decades on this earth and with that comes experience. When I tell my God story, there are so many different ways I can do it. Do I talk about God's faithfulness and goodness even through great trial? Do I talk about praying a prayer and thinking I was going to heaven without truly knowing who my God was? Or do I talk about learning to live a life with open palms, never grasping things too tightly, praying that I could trust in my Father enough to allow Him full control over every aspect of my life? I could talk about all of those things, and I'm more than happy to share the incredible work God has done in my life over these past 22 years, but today I'm telling a different part of my story. Today I'm talking about my calling to love people passionately and advocate for those who don't have a voice. This is my call to missions.
I prayed the prayer when I was 5. Blah blah blah. But as a little girl, I really didn't know what that meant. Years went on, and playing Barbies with my sisters continued to be my favorite past time, having no idea that within my little heart God was moving and changing in ways that would effect me for a lifetime. When I was 10 years old, our church held a missions conference in which all of our missionaries that we supported returned to our church to share what God had been doing in their ministry over the past year. I was mesmerized. Story after story of the faithful pursuing God and loving on people in His name. As I sat there, my heart churned within me in a way that I can't describe, and as a little girl I felt God telling me that He had placed within me a passion for His people.
As the year went on, the images of the conference faded in my mind, and I refocused my attention to playing in creeks and jumping on trampolines, forgetting the calling God had given to me. Finally, it was time for the conference again. This time, with memory of that uncomfortable twisting, my little girl heart asked God "what does this mean?" and once again, my Abba spoke to me saying that He was calling me to live a life filled with a passion for His people.
With this deep fire burning in my heart, I eagerly told everyone that would listen about my calling into missions and began gobbling up any and all missions material I could get my little hands on. I read Revolution in World Missions as an 11-year-old and book after book about famous missionaries that had dedicated their lives to serving the Lord overseas.
As I continued to grow up, the missions conference didn't happen as often, and the fire within me became a dull throb that over time faded to a whisper. in high school, I gave in to my fears and determined that missions was too uncomfortable and inconsistent, and decided to pursue one of my other passions, graphic design. My freshman year of college I took a class called Perspectives in World Missions, but hardened my heart and refused to listen to the stirring that I had pushed so far down within me, determining instead that my role in missions would be solely one of support. As college went on, I continued to pursue a career as a graphic designer and sought to enter the corporate world.
Well, God wasn't (and isn't) done with me. And we all know how "telling God what you will and will not do" goes. Through an internship that turned into a job, I'm using my degree in graphic design in addition to leading short-term mission trips in the Dominican Republic through a non-profit organization called Praying Pelican Missions. To say that God's been in control this whole time would be an understatement. You can read more about the crazy God instances that got me to this place in previous
blogpost I wrote here. God is good. God is faithful. He doesn't give us desires that He isn't going to fill in some way, shape, or form. If you would have told me a year ago I'd be leading mission trips and doing graphic design, all while working with people that have become a sort of family, I would never have believed you. Praise be to our God for being constant.
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Donate here!If you'd like to grab coffee and talk about missions, Jesus, or life, I'd LOVE that! E-mail me at aunica@prayingpelicanmissions.org or message me on facebook to set up a time.
