I find myself missing everything about Colorado—the significantly cooler and less humid weather, breathtaking views, the pristine yet quirky town of Fort Collins, the art culture, my host families, the interesting locals, the passionate church planters, and the encouraging company of my teammates. It was so sweet to spend each day without the time constrictions of organizations and class to simply serve a community with the love of Christ.
I spend much of my time thinking about the people I met and wondering what they are doing, hopeful that they continue to grow on their spiritual journey. At times, I feel discouraged that I cannot physically be there to offer a hug or a smile when they are facing painful experiences or to rejoice with them when something in the Bible clicks for the first time.
However, I am grateful for the moments I was given over 10 weeks. God used those moments to show me how to love generously, selflessly and more like him. I am trying to remember that I have a lifetime of those moments waiting to be obediently lived out as I follow Christ.
The mission has not ended. Instead of looking back on the summer as a great time in my life that I loved well, I want it to transcend into every season of my life, in whatever location I may be, as a lifestyle of love for the One who has saved me and for the people around me who do not know him.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned this summer is the importance of telling our stories about how God is working in our lives. As I have been sharing with people who ask about my summer, there are a variety of stories both big and small of how God worked. There are little stories of answered prayer for rain to stop when we were trying to do ministry and how God continuously provided places for me to live. And there are big stories of God’s faithfulness to move in individuals’ hearts as we learned to be consistent in friendships no matter the response we got in return.
As I told my stories all summer, I was encouraged by Colossians 4:7-8, where the Apostle Paul speaks of his friend who helped him to tell his experiences: “I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.” Think about the ways God is teaching you through daily occurrences and share those moments with others, as it can inspire them to fall deeper in love with the Lord, too.
Amber Cassady, a communications student at Texas A&M University in College Station, served as a student missionary correspondent in Colorado with Go Now Missions.
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