When God said “Go!”

THEME: OUTREACH
Written By Esther Champion, United Kingdom

My name is Esther. I’m 27 years old. I used to live in Bristol, England before moving to Colombia. I arrived in Bogota, Colombia on 14 January 2014 and will be here serving God until January 2015. So why am I here? In October 2012 I was praying and asking God about His plans for my future. In that instant I felt Him saying, “You’re going to South America”, to which my reply was, “Seriously? But I like my life here.” I had never thought of living in South America. I didn’t know anything about it and certainly never thought I would  be a missionary there. But obviously God had other plans!

I’m a people person and I love to talk; I often get told I talk too much. This has been a challenge here because I couldn’t speak Spanish when I first arrived and am still in that process of learning, so I couldn’t engage many people in conversations. This has meant my listening has improved because I don’t have a choice! I’ve realized that you don’t always need to speak to communicate or make friends, and I’ve made friends without being able to say loads of things. Here, I help out by making coffee and in other ways, which is a great way to serve and show God’s love—something I always struggled with in England because I was just too busy! I’m currently teaching English, which I don’t really enjoy that much. But I’m realizing that actually it’s not about me, it’s about those who receive and they are why I’m doing it.

My life here is totally different to my life before (it’s much quieter now) and I have more  time to be still before God. I rely on Him more, speak to Him more, and seek His comfort more. I cry out to Him when I’m sad; I thank Him for just getting me through each day; and I question Him as to why I’m here (I’m still unsure). I’ve learnt that God provides even when we don’t know what we need, therefore He knows us better than we know ourselves. I’ve learnt that I can ask for help, and that’s okay. I’ve struggled living here and having a complete change of lifestyle, but I’m learning to adapt. I’m learning to be grateful, to be content with what I have, and to pray about everything. God sent me here and He will see me through.

The two verses that have followed me since I became a Christian are from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (ESV). I find these words so true especially in this foreign culture that I’m living in.

I pray that this testimony will encourage you to trust in the Lord too.

E S T H E R ‘ S B L O G