To start this blog off I thought I should fill you in on the Who, What, Where, Why and When of my journey and STEP.
Who: Me! This 2017 STEP team consists of myself as well as another young women.
What: You may be wondering what STEP is, so let explain. STEP is a 6 month missions trip from BICWM (Brethren in Christ World Missions) that focuses on different aspects of learning: including discipleship training, missions, language and cultural studies. During the duration of your time in the program you work along side the based missionaries from the country you are stationed in. What that entails I'm still not 100% sure! but what I know from previous "STEPpers" is you not only help out in local churches but also participate in local organizations. Overall we are telling people about Jesus and what else could be better!
Where: I am very excited to be going to Madrid, Spain during the duration of the program!
Why: Why am I excited? Because I get to show and spread the love of Jesus, plus how cool is an opportunity to live in Spain.
But in all seriousness why am I going? In order to fully understand we have to start from the beginning.
The beginning starts with my parents and their calling to help with Latin American Missionary retreats there my sister, parents and myself helped to put on children programs for the missionary children attending the retreat, this is also where I was introduced to my first "STEPper." At the time I was only nine but the idea that maybe one day I could be part of the STEP team was planted.
After that first year we continued to help at the retreat until I was 15. Every year I was able to meet more people from the STEP team and continue to hear all the stories they had from there time in the program. Including every single details about digestion problems they had had.Some things you wished you didn't have to hear.
Now the seed for STEP had been plated when I was nine, it was watered throughout the years helping at a retreat but it wasn't until I truly experienced change that I was able to realize I could do STEP. At 14 my parents felt they were being called into a new missions opportunity, but instead of a fun trip to tell bible stories I was being forced to move.. onto a camp grounds... WITH BAD WIFI!! Yes, you can say 14 year old Hannah was not impressed with having to leave her entire life behind. During the first year in the new house I battled daily with extreme anger, not only towards my parents
but towards God as well. In my new school I struggled to make friends, I felt like I was trapped and I considered suicide multiple times, something before the move I would have thought was crazy! After a year battling with acceptance about the entire situation I started to see a silver lining on my new life. I made friends with a strong christian who worked with my parents. She, no matter how hard I tried to get rid of her, stuck by me and literally smuthered me with the love of Jesus. Slowly she helped me come out of what was a depression and see the positives of the move, and how though it was hard it was more importantly God's will. In this I learned "Change is not easy, but change allows for new beginnings."
All this lead me to grade 12, starting in September of the school year I focused on praying and asking God to show me where he wanted me to be next year; in school, working, traveling, STEP, etc. During this month I was reading through Romans, and Romans 12:2. The verse said NOT to conform to the patterns of this world, to me the pattern of grade 12 was graduate and go to post secondary. Its what everyone did, its what my teachers expected. This verse continued to say instead of conforming to be transformed, I wanted to be transformed. The sudden realization that I was called to be a change, to be transformed brought me to tears as I printed off the STEP application form.
Through all these things we are finally up to date with the journey that got me here, now I am actively fundraising and praying. I have come to terms that if this is truly God's will He will supply my every spiritual and financial need.
Therefore this has been the "why" of STEP.
Finally...
When: So when do I leave, I leave on January 9, 2017, which is exactly 161 days away!! After I leave I'll be coming home June, 25,2017. And I truly believe I'll be returning home changed.
I am so excited to experience this leap of faith, in STEPping out of my comfort zone and more importantly becoming more like Jesus. I hope you enjoy this blog as I prepare to go and as I'm away.
If you have any questions I can be reached at hannahhoover.STEP@gmail. com
and if you wish to donate you can online you can click here
