MEET KAYLEE LOVETT: she overcame her hesitations, said yes to His call to go, and gained a new understand of the need to spread the Gospel.
What made you want to go with your church on a mission trip?
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too on board with going on an international mission trip. It was completely the Lord that led me to it! I was able to witness the IMB (International Mission Board) do a send off of some missionaries last summer, and the Lord really convicted my heart in that moment, to go do the big, hard things. I was reluctant to leave the comfort of my everyday routine, the United States, and more, for a week; yet these people were leaving everything behind for an unknown amount of time, possibly forever, for the sake of the Gospel. So with that in mind, I had friends who had gone on this specific trip, and I heard about what the Lord was doing there, so it didn’t take long for God to change my heart, and I knew I wanted to be a part of what He was doing there!
While in Leticia you served with a local orphanage. What did this experience teach you about orphan care and our call as Christians to serve those without parents?
I think serving in that type of environment really gives us a great opportunity to show the love of Christ, the love of our Father really, like no other. They’ve grown up with maybe one parent, or no parents, and so when it comes to that type of figure in their life, there’s sometimes a hole there. But when you serve in an orphanage, whether in Leticia or elsewhere, you have a chance to introduce the unfailing, unchanging love of God our Father! The fact that you can not only teach them about that love, but get a chance to show that love to them, in a practical way, impacts them greatly. While their circumstances may be hard, and parents cannot, and sometimes will not, take care of their children, we have the chance to teach them about the One who will always be there for them; the One who will always love them, take care of them, and give them hope, a future and joy unlike any other.
How did serving overseas affect your thoughts on serving internationally?
It really widen my view of missions, and serving the Lord. I think before going, I really only focused on the need for God in America; the need for Him in my neighborhood or school. And while the need for Him in your city, school or elsewhere is so true, reality is that the need for the Gospel is everywhere! In your city, and across the world, the rich neighborhoods and poverty stricken ones. There are so many people in different countries, lost, hurting and broken, that NEED the Gospel. The Lord placed a burden on my heart for those people in Leticia, and helped me understand the urgency of the Gospel, in every nation.
What did you learn through fundraising?
THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!! I have to be honest, fundraising can sometimes be hard and discouraging. Asking your family and friends to give you money is awkward. But when we come to the Lord with our effort and the little we have, He will bless and multiply it! The cost of my mission trip was around $2000+, considering passport fees/vaccinations, etc. At the time, I was a senior in high school, trying to save money for college and other church trips, and on my own, there was no way I could pay for it. I took a step of faith, not knowing how or if things would work out. But by the time the trip came, I was fully funded just from fundraising, and didn’t need a penny from offered financial assistance. He is so so faithful, if we’ll just trust Him!
What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about international missions?
International missions is not about you, or what you can do. But it’s all about the Lord, and what He can do through you. And I know that seems so obvious, but as humans, we really are so self-centered, and we can really get caught up in having a perceived idea of what international missions looks like, that we forget the real reason we’re there. It’s not about pictures with kids to update your Instagram, the plane views or a glamorized story after the fact. It’s not about how much sleep you got, the activity you’re involved in, or if you got the window seat. It’s not even about the experience. But it’s all about surrendering your everything to the Lord, as an empty and willing vessel, to do whatever He asks. It’s all about serving Him and His people, doing whatever it takes to extend the Kingdom and glorify His Holy Name. It’s all about humbling yourself, and your needs, wants and opinions, to say “Here I am, Lord. Use me!”
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