Uncontainable Excitement!

Hey y'all! My name is Erica Jones, and I am from the small town of Blue Ridge nestled in the mountains of north Georgia. I am graduating from North Georgia College & State University on May 6th (the day before we leave for Nicaragua!) with a degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. I come from a huge family consisting of five siblings (an older step brother, younger sister, younger step brother, and two younger half brothers). Since I am the second oldest, I have always been very nurturing and motherly. I have always had a huge passion for children, and I have always known I wanted to be a teacher. I love being a positive role model and having an impact on the lives of children. I have a huge heart, and I have always experienced true joy in helping others.

Why did I choose to go on this trip? I have always had an interest and felt led to participate in mission work, but I have never been sure where I was meant to go. Over the past year, as my relationship with my Lord and Savior has grown and strengthened tremendously, I have prayed for Him to open my eyes and reveal His plan of where He wanted me to go. I first heard about this trip around last October and was very hopeful. However, when the trip was first mentioned, individuals wanting to attend were to be enrolled in a class with NGCSU. I was super bummed since I would be graduating before the trip, which meant I wouldn't be able to  go. So, I continued diligently praying for direction in my life. Two months later, in December, this proposition of this trip came up again. This time, I found out that in order to go, individuals did not have to be enrolled in a class. I knew this was God reassuring me this is where I was meant to be. I immediately emailed Dr. Barnes and set everything up in order to for me to get on board with the trip. At this point, I couldn't have even pointed out Nicaragua on a world map, but I knew this is where the Holy Spirit was leading me. So, here I am today--only 12 short days away from our departure!

Is it possible to pinpoint one thing that I am most looking forward to? No, it is not! I am going on this trip expecting the unexpected. I can't wait to see how the Lord uses me and the other girls to work in these people's lives. With that being said, I also can't wait to see how the Lord uses the people in Nicaragua to work in our lives. I am excited to be able to experience another culture, especially one that is so poverty stricken. True, authentic, infallible faith is found in such cultures because their faith is all they have to live by. I am ecstatic about being able to witness such faith. Overall, I am excited about every aspect of this trip, and I can't wait to see how our lives are transformed!

xoxo,


Erica