Every year she comes home transformed. Whit a new outlook and telling of the wonderful experiences they had. Every year, she is so impacted by those experiences that if affect her life.
For example, she had been a member of the Guayama Female Soccer Club for seven years, played all positions, was a regular on the playing field. She had left ballet for soccer. She did both for two years and finally decided that soccer was her true passion. So she divided her time between Church and soccer. It was never a problem, but suddenly soccer was interfering with a lot of church commitments.She wasn't happy. She had been thinking of what to do, if she wanted to leave soccer, to be faithful to church and God,or if she was going to keep on with soccer and fail at some things in Church.
If she stayed with soccer she would miss the youth meetings on Fridays and some worship services on Sundays. She was very upset. She loved both a lot. Soccer made her happy, and so did God, so its was very difficult. She spent a whole year considering what to do.
Every summer they would get July off from soccer practice and games. Then on August the practices would resume and by the end of September the games would start. the youth summer retreat, would always be during that month, so she never had a scheduling conflict with practice or games. Since February of that year (2008), when she was injured during a game, she had been considering leaving the team. The main reason was, because she was going to be promoted to a higher level, and it would require that she sacrifice more of church time to be part of the team. She had been debating what to do for so long, and it was hard because she loved soccer so much.
So finally, summer came, that year they had games up to a week before she was leaving for the retreat. After a game, the coach wished them a good rest period, and told them they would be back on August 10, 2008. A week later she went of the the youth retreat. When she came back she was transformed. Her mind was made up, the experiences she had during those four days made it clear what was of most importance. She said goodbye to soccer, and the team. And even though she still love soccer, god is the most important thing in her life.
That was the first radical change in her life. So 2009 wasn't going to be any different. What we didn't know was how much this experience would change her life. Another youth retreat would be the source of the second one. This change of heart more profound than the first, because it was going to determine the course of the rest of her life.
It's 2009, she has finished the school year on an excellent 3.95 GPA. Everything is set for the summer, the first one in her life that she will be able to do whatever she wanted. She had wanted to go on a missionary trip to Bolivia, but because she was only 15, the age requirement wasn't met. She was disappointed, but she made other plans. As in other years she would help in the Church's Children's Bible Summer School, and this year wouldn't be the exception.
June came and went and finally July was here and the youth retreat a couple of days away. Ever year a new preacher would come. Usually a missionary in another country. That year the missionary was from Guatemala, he worked in a missionary field in Mississippi for a Hispanic congregation, he came with his wife and children. The were Elvis and Wendy García. Their children Pablo and Josue. This time she had the opportunity to meet the missionaries before they left for the retreat. so she had bonded with them, had the confidence to speak with them about their work. Specially with Wendy. that made a big impression on my daughter.
By the time she got on the bus to leave she had great expectations. By the time she got of the bus, four days later, her whole future had shifted into something different. Again I couldn't be mad. The reason, a conference for girls during the retreat given by Wendy. It was during that time and the service that night that she felt the hand of God upon her to received her calling.
What is it you wonder? Missionary life. Breath, breath, breath, just breath. That is what I tell myself now every morning, because that means her departure from home is more permanent than four years or five of college. It means that she will go to some far away country and will work there, she won't come home after college.
That Thursday when she got out of my brothers car I new something was different. Half an hour later she told me she had her calling to be a missionary. Fifteen minutes later she has an appointment with our pastor, a missionary himself, to counsel her about how to proceed. That appointment, would change her college choice.
On Saturday, after her meeting with our pastor her future had shifted yet again. Goodbye Liberty University. Hello Central Baptist College.
Central Baptist College
- Enrolment Cost $15,500
- Room and board included
- Student Aid up to $15,000
- Acceptance requirements above 23 on the ACT
- Community service requirement N/A
- Acceptance rate 80%
CBC is a baptist college, as stated in its name, that has a faith based curriculum.Focused on ministry, but also fives professional courses and degrees. After speaking with our pastor she decided she would go there, to study missions and nursing. Her plan is to get her bachelor in nursing, with a minor in missions and pre-med. Then after graduation go to med school and study surgery, specializing in pediatric surgery. So that she can go around the world spreading the Word of God at the same time helping those children that don't have the means to get medical help, the care they need.
That's the new plan. For her is like she can't wait for these two years to be over with. So she can star to work on the Lord's plan. For me it's agony, AGONY I tell you. There is no way that she will stay now.
So forget the Klenex, find me some Bounty paper towels before I flood the house with tears. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that she's found her true calling, but I'm sad also, what an oxymoron. It's bittersweet, a sweet sorrow and all that. Gosh where's the paper bag, hyper-venti-lating can't breath, feeling light headed. Now I'm left with my new friends Agony, Depression and Neurosis. Let's meet them.
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