In 20 years, you will be more disappointed by what you didn’t do than by what you did. - Mark Twain
I love that Mark Twain quote because it motivates me to stray from my comfort zone. This is not easy because participating in new and unfamiliar activities scares me. The problem though, is that God calls on us to do just that. His desire for us is to depend on Him and Him alone. When I call on Jesus to be my safety net, I feel his presence the most. He is always there to catch me.
In the summer of 2008 I went to Côte D’Ivoire, Africa with the college ministry at Christ Community Church. It was an amazing experience and opened my eyes to the bigness of the world. At the airport, as we were preparing for our departure, I felt an intense fear and I began to freak out. I wanted to stay in Omaha, in my safe, predictable, routine existence. It felt like a huge leap of faith to travel to Africa. However, once I was there, I didn’t want to leave. Meeting the orphanage kids and worshiping with the Ivorians has had such a significant impact on my life and my relationship with God.
God has called me to other experiences that required my dependence as well - a canoeing trip to Arkansas’s Buffalo River and a snowshoeing trip to Mount Bierstadt in Colorado. Both of these trips seemed far outside my comfort zone and required leaps of faith resulting in an awareness of God and his call on my life.
Currently, God is calling me to my biggest adventure to date. I am blessed with an opportunity to go to Bible School in Monavale, New Zealand. I’m nervous about my July departure but Jesus has proven Himself faithful in my life countless times and my confidence in Him is solid. I will live at the school, where the program is designed to grow the students knowledge of the bible, grow their relationship with God and to expand their view of world missions. Through outdoor activities, I will explore practical Christian living and how I can relate to God and others.
I’m overjoyed to be able to share this next step in my life with you. I’d love it if you would invest in my life by praying for me and helping to support me. I know God will provide and I sincerely thank you in advance if God puts it in your heart to invest. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (402) 612-9063.
Thank you again for being a part of the exciting journey with me!
Love,
Christine Gerhart
