If your life was made of clay, what would it look like? Would it be an elegant vase, beautiful and full of purpose? Would be it a distorted chunk of mud waiting to be shaped by the potter? Or would it be somewhere in between: in the potter’s hands being made smooth, spinning on the wheel, or enduring the kiln’s fiery heat?
At this time last year, I was merely a slab of earth, completely devoid of a sense of purpose. I had no idea what God had in store for my life, and my prayers for direction seemed to be in vain. I prayed for a passion, a purpose, or a plan, but I was never granted the clear vision for my future that I desired (see Isaiah 64:9).
Even after applying to seven schools, my future was still foggy and uncertain. Desperately wanting to choose the path God had laid out for me, I prayed that I would only have one choice and that it would be the right one. With that prayer, my lump of clay was tossed onto the potter’s wheel, and my life started to spin out of control. Amongst much heartbreak over being denied, wait-listed, and receiving insufficient financial aid packets, I forgot my prayer, and worry began to gnaw at me. Every door of opportunity seemed to slam in my face, including my top choice, William and Mary, where I was wait-listed (Proverbs 19:21).
Suddenly, after just a month or two of letters, only two options remained: Washington and Lee, a school I had only applied to because of an email waiving the application fee, and WVU. When I received notice that my financial information was incomplete at W & L and there was no aid left to be given, I saw that last door slowly creak shut. However, WVU did not sit right with me at all. For over a year I had prayed to be sent where God wanted me (Isaiah 6:8). Was I really being “sent” to my own hometown? After a miserable week of wallowing in a self pity, a new idea began to surface. Or perhaps it was an old one.
My mom had been emailing people like crazy and found out that if I deferred at Washington and Lee, I could reapply for aid and scholarships in 2011. Suddenly, everything clicked. I remembered a prayer written in my journal in January of 2009, before I had even begun looking at schools. Among a long list of prayers for my family, church, and friends, I had written two words: “gap year” and a question mark. It didn’t matter that I was imagining a year of school in Barcelona or 6 months touring Europe. God still heard me, and he shaped my prayer into something he could use. That very week, “gap year” became the story of my life, my answer to “So what’s after high school?” and my opportunity to make a difference.
From March to May, my shapeless piece of clay began to take form. Now, I have a fantastic year planned that I still can hardly wrap my mind around. During the time when I expected to be back in the monotonous routine of school, homework, and sleep, I will be touching the lives of children in Central and South America and also in Morgantown. Lord willing, here is a brief outline of my plans for 2010-2011:
August 23rd- November 20th:
I will be assisting in a school for needy kids in Huancayo, Peru with a program called Tinkuy Peru. I will also be teaching English to adults, learning weaving and other traditional arts, improving my Spanish, and going on various weekend expeditions. http://www.tinkuyperu.com/index.html
December:
I will be helping with the Gift Project in Morgantown, a program that provides Christmas gifts to underprivileged families.
January-March:
I will be down south again, this time in Honduras with Rancho Oasis for Youth. This project is faith based and involves caring for children in the area by teaching them music, the gospel, and various skills. The ranch will eventually have horses for equine therapy. http://ro4y.blogspot.com/2009/03/our-mission-statement.html
April:
I will be in Morgantown again volunteering with Nuru, a program that works to bring sustained agriculture, medicine, etc. to Africa. http://www.nuruinternational.org/
August:
I will begin school at Washington and Lee Univerity. I haven't decided on a major, but right now I plan to minor in Spanish and the Shepherd Poverty Program.
