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Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, 
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 
Psalm 139:16

For those who don’t know me, my name is Noelle. I graduated from Rockbridge Academy in 2022 and am now studying Philosophy at Princeton University. This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to reconnect with part of the Rockbridge community by serving as staff on a 5-week mission trip to Costa Rica. My trip was organized by Royal Servants, a mission organization for high school students that focuses on discipleship and equipping students to serve the church and share the gospel in their communities back home. Our team was being led by Mr. Matt Swanson, upper school Bible teacher at Rockbridge. I came on the trip as a college-age leader, so my main role was to mentor a small group of girls throughout the trip. As a team, we studied the Bible together, we prayed together, we worshiped together, and we did outreach together. Throughout the summer, I was encouraged to see how God had been preparing me for this experience and was teaching me to trust in Him and His plan for me.

Mr. Swanson continually stressed to the team that we were not bringing Jesus to Costa Rica. We were there to join in the work that God was already doing there. Each day we would head out to do gospel-centered outreach alongside students from our hosting church. We also visited schools to teach English, play games, build relationships, and talk to students about faith. Certain days of ministry were fast-paced and encouraging; other days were slow or frustrating. 

There were definitely times when I wondered why I had even come on the trip. Even after sharing the gospel with strangers and having many spiritually-oriented conversations with the girls in my small group, I wondered whether I would really make a life-long impact on anyone’s heart this summer. As I wrestled with these thoughts and feelings, God answered my unspoken questions through the encouraging words of my leaders and, towards the end of the trip, through the testimonies of girls in my small group who spoke of how they had been inspired by my example to live out their faith in Christ.

Throughout the summer, I saw God redeem discouraging situations for our good and His glory.

Throughout the summer, I saw God redeem discouraging situations for our good and His glory. One afternoon our team arrived in the nearby town of Paraíso and it immediately began raining. We went out in groups looking for people to invite to our outreach activities, but we eventually all ended up back under the big tent at the park. We didn't end up doing our presentations that day because no one came. The team was pretty discouraged. While we were standing around with our games and equipment wondering what to do, a middle-aged man named William happened to pass by and stopped under the tent to get out from the rain. One of my teammates and I managed to engage him in conversation, and we ended up talking about everything from sports and culture to Jesus and heaven. William was a Christian and reminded us that we were family in God even though we didn't have much else in common. We talked for probably half an hour and had the opportunity to pray together (in a mixture of English and Spanish). What strikes me with gratitude and wonder is that none of that would have happened if it hadn't been raining! And this was only one of the many stories I could tell of how God used difficult circumstances for His pre-prepared purposes.

God also encouraged me throughout the summer by making it clear that He had placed me on this particular team. I only discovered the opportunity to go to Costa Rica with Royal Servants after a number of other summer opportunities fell through. When it seemed like I had exhausted every avenue to find funding from my school for the trip, I was finally able to qualify for their service internship program, which, along with the generous support of the family of God, made it possible for me to go on this mission trip. God had been working for months and honestly, years before I ever left the country to place me on that airplane.

Another way in which God confirmed that He was using me for His purposes was through a small contribution I brought to our team: Spanish. At the beginning of the trip, I was daunted but also pleasantly surprised to discover that my early-intermediate Spanish skills were the best we had to work with. This turned out to be useful (and fun!) for communicating with people at our host church and also with those we met during outreach activities. I was thrilled that many previous hours of language study were proving fruitful in ways I hadn’t previously foreseen, but God had preordained.

Most importantly, however, God opened my eyes to see the work He was doing in my heart throughout the entire experience. I was being stretched in my listening, encouragement, and conflict resolution skills as I helped young teen girls learn how to live in a community together. I was being humbled as a young adult as I submitted myself to an unusual amount of restriction over my personal life for the well-being of the entire team. I started noticing an increased desire in myself to read and study the Word of God. Like Rockbridge, Royal Servants emphasizes the importance of reading, studying, and memorizing Scripture. Each day we would have an hour set aside in our schedule for individual quiet time with God. We also had daily teachings and discussions about our readings in addition to ambitious Scripture memory assignments each week. I was pleased to realize how much Scripture I still had tucked away from my days in Rockbridge grammar school! Through the daily practice of these spiritual disciplines, I grew closer to God and even became excited to continue Bible memory work after I returned home.

Most importantly, however, God opened my eyes to see the work He was doing in my heart throughout the entire experience. I was being stretched in my listening, encouragement, and conflict resolution skills as I helped young teen girls learn how to live in a community together. I was being humbled as a young adult as I submitted myself to an unusual amount of restriction over my personal life for the well-being of the entire team. 

There were definitely days this summer when I felt discouraged and wondered what I was doing on this trip. In the midst of those moments, God was slowly teaching me that He sees me and knows me and had a plan for everything I was going through. I was especially encouraged by Psalm 139, which describes how God knows us better than we know ourselves. He is intimately aware of our thoughts and habits and feelings. He has authored our lives, down to each day.

God placed me on my mission trip this summer to stretch me in new ways and use me for His purposes. How was God working in and through you this summer? You might not have gone on a mission trip or done much out of the ordinary, but you can be confident that God has been at work. Take some time to reflect on what He’s been up to. Don’t forget: God knows you better than you know yourself, and He has woven each day of your life into His master story.