My Story Behind Going

Hey friends!

I am happy to tell you that after traveling for what felt like forever (22 hours) and a 5 hour drive days later, my team and I have finally made it to our ministry spot in Thailand and I am loving it already!

Below is the background story of why I decided to go on this Passport mission trip. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to writing to you all again soon!

Last year in January, I talked with some friends about feeling called to work with human trafficking victims in Asia, I just didn’t know where or when exactly. We prayed about it and left it with Jesus because I needed to focus on the season of life that I was in at the time. What I expected though was to be used by God while I was happy and content with my life, but God had other plans.

Months later, he began to break me in ways I didn’t know was possible and break me even more than I already was in certain areas of my life. Then, in the midst of my brokenness, he tells me to leave Johnson City, TN and go to Thailand and Cambodia for 3 months. This couldn’t have been any more inconvenient for me but As I remembered the story of Mary and when the angel of the Lord comes to her and tells her that she is pregnant with Jesus, I felt confident in this inconvenience. There is absolutely nothing convenient about being pregnant, unmarried, and a virgin. Typically, God doesn’t really care about convenience, but he will always work everything out for your good (Rom. 8:28).

I began to ask many questions. How am I supposed to do this? Out of all the people in the world capable of doing this and he chooses me. Why? I mean, broken people can’t be used, right?
Wrong. Very, very wrong.

I am broken. I am extremely broken. I am one of the most broken people you will ever meet. Yet here I am, about to begin an adventure of a lifetime in a couple of days. Society convinces us to think we have to have our lives put together in order to help anyone. Thankfully, God works differently and I am proof of that. I am being used by the God who created everything, the one that can move mountains, the one that
speaks and demons flee, the one that calls me by name.

God uses broken people. When you feel the lowest, the most unworthy, most discouraged, depressed, useless, hurt, angry; then you will be used in ways you never expected. But always remember, the burden of brokenness you carry is light, momentary, AND it is meaningful. Also it’s preparing you for an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison (2 Cor. 4:17). Even in our afflictions we can worship God because we already know the outcome of our trials by this verse and with James 1:3, “For you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” So do not be discouraged, from the pain and brokenness comes beauty, strength, glory for God, joy, peace, and steadfastness.

I pray that this encourages you if you are going through a trial of any kind. If there is hope for me, there is hope for you. Please know though that while I am telling you all of this, I am reminding myself of it. But, I will elaborate on that with another email.

I am continuously praying that God will use this mission trip to end the season of brokenness I have been in for far too long. Eventually, I would like to elaborate more on certain areas of what I’ve talked about above, but I’ll save that for another day.

a servant of Christ,
Rachel Wallace

“I am not really very brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him.”
-Katie Davis