I take a deep breath, I look up to Him, and trust that the One who called me from the “ends of the earth” will use my life here for His Glory.

The idea of serving in China was, for many years, a crazy thought. And if it was crazy before the pandemic, after COVID it seemed impossible. “Why do you want to leave your profession, your stability and your family to go to the other side of the world, to a place so different from ours?” I have lost count of how many times I have had to answer that question at home in South America. And I can easily count the few times when people were happy with or supportive of my reply. Leaving everything behind when He opened the door was not so hard, though. He had taken a long time to work in my stubborn heart and had prepared me for that day. However, learning how to survive and live in China has been, for sure, a different challenge.

In this first stage of learning the local language and culture, I have been put to the test. Can I be a full-time student again? Can I try that suspicious-looking food with a smile on my face? Can I attempt to engage in conversations with locals even if I failed every time before? Etc, etc, etc. All of this has been a hard process for me. One that cost me many tears, but that He has used to humble me and shape me — I hope — into His image as I step into this country’s culture. I look forward to the day when I can speak fluently enough to be understood, to the day I can start serving in one of the MSI sites. In the meantime, I take a deep breath, I look up to Him, and trust that the One who called me from the “ends of the earth” will use my life here for His Glory.