for such a time as this

In one day, I will be on a plane, heading back to the United States. The time I've spent in Mexico has been one of the richest trips I've taken in a long time. I can tell that I've grown since my last international trip because I don't let little distractions steal me away from the adventure.

Yesterday and today I had the honor of spending time with some amazing new friends. Yesterday, I spent time with friends in Merida. They showed me the market, where we ate typical food for the culture, and then we went to visit a statue that was made by a Columbian artist who fell in love with Merida. The statue tells a brief history of Mexico. It is exquisite. Then, we went into an old building that is now a place of work for government officials. There were paintings everywhere, describing with picture some of the monumental moments, transitions and people in Mexico's history. Most of the time I was just stunned by the richness of this land, and it sparked in me a hunger to study the history of Mexico.

Today I went to Campeche, and youth from the camp took me to key places in that state. Again, I was totally awestruck. Literal fortresses and castles are all across the coast, where the Spaniards set up canons to defend themselves against pirates from other parts of the world.

As I was soaking in a bit of the history, ranging from the colonization of Mexico, to the mysterious disappearance of the Mayan tribe, to the rise of different revolutionaries who brought the nation into a new era, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad...

I began to think about my life and the lives of all those in my generation, and the phrase "for such a time as this" kept pounding in my heart.

For such a time as this. For such a time as this. For such a time as this.

you are here for such a time as this. you have been given TIME. one of the greatest of gifts. you have been given the chance to shape history with your life, to redeem the time, to contribute to how the story will go and what generations to come will read about.

that excites me. it stirs me up. it gives fuel to my voice and passion to my heart.

a statue may never tell our story, but we can make sure heaven does. we can make sure that our story is bringing heaven to earth, joining the ranks of the heroes of faith as they trusted God despite all odds and all obstacles.

Tonight, I feel a fire rekindling in my heart. A fire to see my generation alive to God and in love with Him, saying yes to Him no matter what.