Life Update!

Hi friends!

I have been home from the field for about 2 months now, and I am very excited to report about the next chapter of my life. Throughout my time on the field, I had a lot of different ideas and possibilities for what the future may hold for me. For a while I was really considering going back out on to the field as a missionary. I could also come back and get another job in accounting, like I had before. What about where to live? I could go back to Michigan to be near family, go back down to South Carolina to be with my friends, and I’ve always wanted to live in Florida! For about the last month that I was on the field, I spent a lot of time praying and trying to discern what the Lord had for me next. The way that He worked out the upcoming season of my life, is in my opinion, nothing short of miraculous.

To be honest with you, my initial plan was to come off the field with no plan. I figured I’d just come home and wait until God gave me some direction as to what I would be doing next. But a couple of weeks before I came off the field, we had a World Race alumni come and visit us at our host location in Uganda. He offered us some very wise advice, he said “don’t go home without some sort of plan, or you will regret it.” After he left, I started trying to figure out what was going to be next. Like I said, I had a few different places I could move to, and a few different career possibilities and opportunities in front of me, so I needed God’s help to narrow it down.

There is a church in Sarasota, Florida that I visit whenever I am down there, and for some reason that church continued popping into my mind, over and over again. Right off the bat, my eyes were pointed toward Florida. Then I started to think about what it is that I might possibly want to do. To be completely honest with you, I was pretty sure my days as an accountant were over before I even left the country. I started to pray, and think about my giftings, which the Lord had grown and strengthened in me throughout the race. I narrowed it down to 2 main strengths, I love public speaking, and I love to fundraise. This led me to think maybe sales could be the thing I would excel in. However, God so graciously allowed me multiple opportunities over the past year to work with different anti-trafficking organizations, and that truly is a passion of mine. Before I left for the race I had said that my dream job would be to work in anti-trafficking.

At this point I had narrowed down my “dream job.” If I could be anything, I would be a fundraiser who meets with donors and speaks at events, for an anti-trafficking organization. I didn’t know if such a position even existed! After doing some digging, I found a few different anti-trafficking organizations, and the one which stood out to me just so happened to be in Sarasota! Unfortunately, at the time they did not have any jobs available. I decided to take a leap of faith and reach out to the head of HR for the organization anyway. I introduced myself, expressed my interest in the organization and their mission, and shared my strengths and my resume. To my surprise I heard back, and she asked me to reach back out once I got back to the US, and they would see what they had available!

As I was making the transition back into the US, I started thinking about applying for jobs again, and Selah Freedom, the anti-trafficking org, continued to pop into my mind. One day as I was scrolling through indeed, I found that they were hiring 3 new positions called “Community Awareness Liaisons” in 3 different counties near Sarasota. I looked into the job description, and it was EXACTLY what I had described before, my literal dream job. I quickly fixed up my resume, and submitted an application. I figured I might as well reach back out to the head of HR and let her know I had applied since we had exchanged a few emails previously.

When I heard back from her unfortunately I did not get the response I was looking for. She let me know that I didn’t have the experience the hiring manager would want to see, and honestly I wasn’t truly qualified for the job. BUT, she said she wanted to schedule a preliminary interview with me anyway, and if she felt like it went well that she would push my resume through to the hiring manager. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but I was going to take what I could get.

My interview with her ended up falling during the same week that the rest of my squad was arriving back in the States from Uganda. I was down in Georgia with them for a week of debrief when I had my first interview with Selah Freedom. I felt so blessed to be surrounded by all of my friends during that time, they were so encouraging, and they all prayed for me before my call. The interview went as well as it possibly could have, and the HR director let me know they would schedule a follow up interview with the hiring manager and the executive director. I had the second interview about a week later, and it also went well.

About 2 weeks ago, I received a job offer from them and I will be starting my new job as Community Awareness Liaison at Selah Freedom on January 5th. My job will mainly be to go out into the community and meet with and obtain donors for our cause. I have the privilege to raise money so that Selah can bring more victims of trafficking into their care, and educate more people on the dangers of trafficking.

I look back at this whole situation and I just see God’s fingerprints all over it. I would never have discovered these unique gifting if it wasn’t for my time on the World Race. I had the opportunity to raise money to go out, which is not something that is common. I also had the opportunity to speak in front of large audiences all over the world. I never would have uncovered these strengths if I hadn’t gone out onto the field as a missionary. Not only did I discover my strengths, but the Lord also gave me 2 opportunities to work in the trafficking field while I was overseas. Each one of these opportunities just increased my desire to be a part of this mission. And to have a God who knows me so intimately well, that He knew exactly what I needed to get to this place, and who so beautifully orchestrated this opportunity is so insane. I am so blown away by His goodness and His mercy each and every day.

As I look back at my time on the field, I am blown away by all of the gifts and lessons that the Lord blessed me with along the way. And as I look forward I am so stunned by the way that the whole race set me up to step in to this next season. We truly serve a God who knows the beginning and the end. I am so excited to step into what God has brought me into in this next season and so grateful for the season I am stepping out of.

Thank you all so much again for being a part of this journey. Thank you for investing in me, and loving and praying for me. Each one of you is yet another reminder of how loved I am by God. I would be so grateful for prayers for a smooth transition and move down to Florida.

I am praying huge blessings over you all this holiday season.

Hugs and prayers,

Amanda