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About This Project

I will be going to China in 2026 for six months to study Mandarin and to volunteer with the local community in various capacities! I've lived in New York City for the past seven years, with some of the most formative steps of faith taking place during my time there. But as I entered into a season of reconsidering where God was calling me, I came to realize that I was pursuing a life of comfort built on fulfilling my own earthly desires. I realized that I held so tightly onto familiarity, stability, and predictability that choosing comfort instead of choosing God felt like the option that gave me life. Instead of placing my faith in God, I placed my faith in the rhythms of this life that gave me assurance.

I believe that this decision to spend this year in China is the next step of faith God is calling me to. I had gotten laid off from my job months prior, had given up my apartment lease and had just started school. I thought I had lost my mind in making this decision. But I witnessed how a time of desolation and desperation is often the best opportunity to see how God provides affirmation of path He has already laid ahead - He placed the odds to work in favor of me, rather than against me. It challenged me to reconsider how small my sacrifice of comfort was, in comparison to the comfort that I could find in experiencing more of God.

I'm looking forward to the cultural immersion experience, and finding ways to intentionally build relationships with the local community! One of my motivations for choosing China as my next chapter, was a desire to serve the Chinese people and to experience life with the marginalized. The learning curve will be steep, but I'm looking forward to the deep transformational change that I cannot bring upon in myself, but that only God can. I am excited to see how God will lead me in discerning His vocational calling for me, and where He will lead me to thereafter!

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