Life's Turns

We never really know what to expect out of life. There's so many hills, valleys and unexpected turns. We can set out to do something expecting one outcome only to have the outcome be something entirely different. Sometimes we can look back over life and wonder how we ever got to where we are.
Growing up, I wanted to be many things: a pilot, doctor, teacher, coach, and the list goes on. Never did I say that I wanted to be a missionary and that seems to be a not so very likely occupation for me. Many people say they can't see me doing what I do. I presume this is because I am so quiet.
I also never pictured this as my future occupation. But, it seems God had other plans and it also seems that His hands were guiding me toward this throughout my life. I went to a private, Catholic school for a while during my elementary years. I barely remember any of it. But, one memory I do have is of a man that for a while was a deacon (at least that's what I think his title was) for a while. He would come into our class and tell us Bible stories and push us on the swings on the playground at recess. At some point, he decided to continue on and become a priest. I remember going to his ordination service and feeling excited for him but also a little sad.
His becoming a priest meant that he was now Father Fitzhugh and he would be taking a new assignment which meant that he would be leaving. His new assignment was somewhere in Mexico. I don't think I even knew where Mexico was but I remember knowing that I was going to miss him. He came back for a visit about a year later. I remember being in such awe of him. He could now speak a new language and had so many interesting stories to tell. I don't remember seeing Father Fitzhugh anymore after that and life went on.
I didn't even think about this until a few weeks ago when I was thinking about how I ended up on the life course that I did. I think he was the beginning of a little seed planted in my mind, of my interest in other cultures and learning foreign languages. In junior high and high school I didn't have much interest in religion or even in God. However, I did read books about the Peace Corps and the experiences of others as they volunteered in distant lands.
I started college and had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I've changed my major a gazillion times and imagined an array of careers but somehow none of them really seemed to fit. While on campus I worked and became friends with people from all over the world: Pakistan, Colombia, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Bosnia and the list goes on.
At some point I realized I was going to have to make a final decision about a major and realized I still had no idea. I decided to take a semester off and travel. I picked a random destination and left for 3 months on a trip that would change the course of my life. I went to Uganda to visit and do some volunteering and fell in love with the country. I decided I definitely wanted to return. I came back home, got more involved in church and felt God leading me to take my next trip back to Uganda as a mission trip. I returned the next year for another 3 months on a short term mission trip and worked with orphans and street children.
Since then my whole goal in life has changed. When I finally surrendered my will to God and gave my life over to Him to be used by Him, everything became so clear. I finally knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to serve Him. This has meant the last few years being a missionary in Uganda. I don't know that I will always be a missionary in Uganda. God may choose something else for me later. But, I do know that for now He is the one that is in charge of the twists, turns, hills and valleys of my life. I pray that as I walk these footsteps through life that I will be constantly following His footsteps.